Stephanie Potochnick provides expertise for WFAE’s ‘The South Florida exodus: Why many are heading to Charlotte’
Stephanie Potochnick, associate professor of sociology and public policy and director of the Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies, provided expertise for WFAE’s article, ‘The South Florida exodus: Why many are heading to Charlotte.’
Data shows that Charlotte’s population is increasingly made up of people born outside of North Carolina. People are leaving larger, gateway cities such as New York and Miami seeking a quieter, less expensive way of life.
“Charlotte is a huge growth area, not just for immigrants, but for U.S.-born populations because it’s a lower cost of living,” Potochnick said. “In 2000, about 46% of Mecklenburg residents were born in North Carolina. By 2023, that’s down to 39%.”
Of those who moved to Mecklenburg county in 2023, Potochnick says about 10% were from Florida. However, she predicts this will eventually slow down.
“At some point you’ll reach saturation, where the cost of living isn’t any lower than elsewhere,” Potochnick said.