Immigrants in Mecklenburg County

Local Spotlight

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Published: September 17, 2026

Topics: Economics of Immigration, Employment and Wages, Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized
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This local spotlight was commissioned as a part of the Gateways for Growth Challenge (G4G), a competitive opportunity for localities to receive research support and technical assistance from the American Immigration Council and Welcoming America to improve immigrant inclusion in their communities.

New research from the American Immigration Council shows that immigrants in Mecklenburg County paid $2.6 billion in taxes and held $7.0 billion in spending power in 2024. The new report, Immigrants in Mecklenburg County, was prepared in partnership with the City of Charlotte, Charlotte International Cabinet, and International House.  

Key Findings

  • Immigrants are fueling the growth in Mecklenburg County. Between 2019 and 2024, the total population of the county increased by 7.1 percent. During that same time, the immigrant population increased by 20.2 percent. As a result, 42.7 percent of the total population growth was attributable to immigrants.

  • Immigrants are helping the county meet its labor force demands. In 2024, immigrants were 24.0 percent more likely to be of working age than their U.S.-born counterparts. 

  • Immigrants support the federal safety net. Immigrants contributed $1.8 billion in federal taxes and $803.7 million in state and local taxes in Mecklenburg County in 2024.  

  • Immigrants are helping Mecklenburg County meet its rising labor needs in key industries. While making up 17.0 percent of the county’s total population in 2024, immigrants represented 20.5 percent of transportation and warehousing workers, 49.8 percent of construction workers, and 19.2 percent of hospitality workers. 

  • Immigrants are building deep roots in Mecklenburg County. As of 2024, 72.6 percent of immigrants in the county had resided in the United States for more than five years. 

Although immigrants made up 17.0 percent of the county’s total population, they represented 20.2 percent of its working age population, 20.1 percent of its employed labor force, and 26.7 percent of its workers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in 2024. Immigrants in Mecklenburg County were 52.9 percent more likely to be an entrepreneur than their U.S.-born counterparts and immigrant entrepreneurs generated over $659.8 million in business income. 

Read the press release to learn more.

PROFILE

Building Bridges for African Families: Congolese Immigrant Helps Other Immigrants Adjust to Life in America

Special Education Teacher, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Founder & Executive Director, Amani Kids Charlotte, NC Binti Muzuri Amisi had long dreamed of moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States. In 2014, at age 27, she received a life-changing opportunity by becoming one of the less than five percent of immigrants who receive an immigrant visa through the annual diversity visa lottery. Amisi left behind her career as a lawyer specializing in children’s welfare and came to Charlotte, North Carolina, to live with her sister. Shortly after arriving,…

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Building Bridges for African Families: Congolese Immigrant Helps Other Immigrants Adjust to Life in America

Special Education Teacher, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Founder & Executive Director, Amani Kids
Charlotte, NC

Binti Muzuri Amisi had long dreamed of moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United States. In 2014, at age 27, she received a life-changing opportunity by becoming one of the less than five percent of immigrants who receive an immigrant visa through the annual diversity visa lottery. Amisi left behind her career as a lawyer specializing in children’s welfare and came to Charlotte, North Carolina, to live with her sister.

Shortly after arriving, Amisi discovered that navigating everyday life in a new country would not be easy. Like many newcomers from French-speaking African countries, she spoke little English and struggled with simple tasks, such as communicating at a doctor’s office or using public transportation.

In an effort to overcome her isolation, she contacted the nonprofit International House of Charlotte, where she signed up for English classes and volunteered for an after-school program there and later with other immigrant serving organizations. “Through these experiences, I found my calling,” she says. She saw the need for families from the African Diaspora to understand cultural differences, such as registering special needs children in school or learning about field trip customs. “One experience that deeply affected me was seeing a field trip permission letter in a kid’s backpack that just needed a signature, but the parents didn’t how to check it,” she says. “It was something so important but basic.”

But first Amisi wanted to go back to college. After earning her associate degree in early childhood education from Central Piedmont Community College, she was hired by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and worked her way up from cafeteria server to special education teaching assistant and is now a special education teacher. In 2026, she was given the Beginning Teacher of the Year Award at Merry Oaks International Academy.

Three years ago, Amisi found a way to realize her vision to help African immigrant families and connect them to critical educational resources, such as parenting classes and leadership development. “I asked the executive director at International House if I should start a nonprofit, and she said ‘Yes, you can do it!’’ recalls Amisi. “Those words were a game-changer for me.”

Called Amani Kids (“Amani” means “peace” in Swahili), the organization aims to create the sense of community she longed for: Every month, about 30 kids, ages four to 16, meet in a local library to learn social and cultural skills, such as building confidence and showing respect at school or celebrating African traditions. “I wanted to become the bridge that I wished I had when I first arrived,” Amisi says. “International House helped me build a new life,” she says. “Now, through Amani Kids, I have the privilege of helping others do the same.”