The Charlotte area here is Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus and Gaston counties, the four North Carolina counties at the core of the metro area. The metro area also reaches across the state line into York and Lancaster counties in South Carolina, and takes in several more North Carolina counties; they are not in this guide.
Verizon leads outdoors in 1 of the 4 counties (Union), with AT&T close behind there; in Cabarrus, Gaston and Mecklenburg all three are within 5 points of each other. In a moving car, AT&T leads in all 4 counties, with Verizon close behind in Mecklenburg. In the 2 Greater Charlotte cities among the 300 largest in the US, no carrier is the clear leader in any of them.
Every Greater Charlotte county, outdoors
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County, NC | 100% | 98.9% | 99.7% | 100% | 0.7% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Gaston County, NC | 100% | 99.9% | 98.4% | 100% | 2.2% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 100% | 100% | 99.8% | 100% | 4.1% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Union County, NC | 99.4% | 96.2% | 89.8% | 99.1% | 1.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
Reading the county figures
Union County: Verizon by 9.3 points over T-Mobile.
Mecklenburg County, Cabarrus County and Gaston County: all three carriers within 5 points of each other outdoors.
The largest Greater Charlotte cities
The 2 Greater Charlotte cities among the 300 largest in the US, biggest first. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 2 cities; in a car, AT&T leads in 1 of the 2 cities, and 1 has no clear leader.
| City | Population | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 943,476 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0.6% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Concord | 112,395 | 99.9% | 99.9% | 100% | 0.1% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
Population: 2024 estimates.
Town by town
32 towns, each the main town of a ZIP code, the large cities included. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 32 towns. In a car, AT&T leads in 25 and Verizon leads in 1 of the 32 towns, and 6 have no clear leader.
| Carrier | Towns led, outdoors | Towns led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 0 | 25 |
| T-Mobile | 0 | 0 |
| Verizon | 0 | 1 |
| No clear leader | 32 | 6 |
Where one carrier pulls clear in the Charlotte area
Widest in-car margin first, 12 of 26.
| Town | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unionville | 97.9% | 52.2% | 80.5% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| High Shoals | 97.3% | 52.7% | 89.2% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Cherryville | 98% | 56.3% | 65.6% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Mount Pleasant | 82.4% | 42.9% | 75.8% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Weddington | 97.2% | 62.1% | 74.6% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Fairview | 92.4% | 62.5% | 70% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Davidson | 96.6% | 72% | 85.7% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Huntersville | 96.3% | 72.2% | 86.3% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Mount Holly | 96% | 72.5% | 88.4% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Mineral Springs | 97.5% | 77.2% | 75.1% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Harrisburg | 98.7% | 77.4% | 99.7% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Alexis | 90.7% | 87% | 68.5% | AT&T (T-Mobile close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
Head to head
| Matchup | First carrier leads | Second carrier leads | Too close to call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon vs AT&T | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Verizon vs T-Mobile | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| AT&T vs T-Mobile | 1 | 0 | 3 |
In a moving car
| County | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County, NC | 84.9% | 63.3% | 72.6% | AT&T |
| Gaston County, NC | 85.3% | 56.8% | 68.5% | AT&T |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 96.4% | 85.8% | 91.7% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Union County, NC | 77.4% | 47.3% | 58.1% | AT&T |
5G in the Charlotte area
| County | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County, NC | 98.4% | 88.8% | 100% |
| Gaston County, NC | 96.9% | 85.3% | 100% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 99.7% | 97.5% | 100% |
| Union County, NC | 88% | 75% | 99.4% |