Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. With a population of 874,579 at the 2020 census, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., seventh-most populous city in the South, and second-most populous city in the Southeast, while the Charlotte metropolitan area with an estimated 2.88 million residents is the 21st-largest metropolitan area in the nation. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of an 18-county combined statistical area with an estimated population of 3.47 million as of 2024. It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County.