Elevation of Charlotte
763ft
above sea level · 233 m
Charlotte is a city in North Carolina with 964,784 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 33rd highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 35.23° N · 80.84° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 35° 13′ 38″ N · 80° 50′ 35″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 17S · 514,275 E · 3,898,238 N
- Zone 17 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Eastern Time
- UTC−5 · UTC−4 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 964,784 people
- 312 sq mi of land · 3,091 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from September 2017: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Charlotte had 964,784 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 10% more than in April 2020, when it had 874,708. Its 312 sq mi of land work out to 3,091 people/sq mi; the state average is 230 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 776 places the Census counts in North Carolina (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 8.6% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Mecklenburg County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 1.4 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Charlotte sits at 763 ft (233 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Charlotte is 95 ft below it.
The state capital, Raleigh, is 130 mi away in a straight line and 448 ft lower than Charlotte.
Of the 10 cities in North Carolina with a page, Charlotte is the 4th highest: the highest is High Point (922 ft) and the lowest is Wilmington (37 ft).
The highest point in North Carolina is Mount Mitchell, at 6,684 ft according to the USGS: 5,921 ft above Charlotte, 88 mi away in a straight line.
- 33 Charlotte 763 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Charlotte.
What is the elevation of Charlotte?
Charlotte is 763 feet (233 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Charlotte?
Latitude 35.22709 and longitude -80.84313, in decimal degrees (35° 13′ 38″ N · 80° 50′ 35″ W). In UTM, zone 17: 514,275 E and 3,898,238 N, on NAD83.
How does Charlotte rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 33rd highest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Charlotte in?
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Which is higher, Charlotte or Raleigh?
Charlotte. Charlotte sits at 763 ft and Raleigh at 315 ft: a difference of 448 ft, 130 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know