Charlotte, NC (population: 723,514) has two animation schools within its city limits. Queens University of Charlotte, the highest ranked school in the city with an animation program, has a total student population of 2,568. It is the 407th highest ranked school in the USA and the 16th highest in the state of North Carolina (#1 is Duke University).
Animation students from Charlotte schools who go on to become animation artists, animators, animation designers, game designers, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. Also, Multimedia artists and animators make on average $62,810 per year and there are about 28,800 of them employed in the US today.
Charlotte lies in Mecklenburg county, which is one of the 64 counties in North Carolina. Overall, the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord-SC area has 837,820 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.9% unemployment rate, $21.10/hr average worker wage, and a $43,890 average annual salary.
Of the 2 animation schools in Charlotte, only 1 has a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Queens University of Charlotte comes out as the most expensive ($18,275/yr) for animation students, with Central Piedmont Community College as the lowest, reported at only $9,798/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Charlotte |
| Belmont | NC | - | 2 | 36.2771 | 82 | 12.1 miles |
| Gastonia | NC | 75,340 | 1 | 28.6194 | 5 | 19.5 miles |
| Rock Hill | SC | 72,341 | 5 | 30.0256 | 144 | 21.3 miles |
| Kannapolis | NC | 44,672 | 0 | - | 0 | 23.3 miles |
| Mooresville | NC | - | 2 | 20.4244 | 6 | 26.6 miles |
| Misenheimer | NC | - | 1 | 21.9215 | 70 | 36.4 miles |
| Salisbury | NC | - | 6 | 27.3664 | 241 | 38.3 miles |
| Statesville | NC | - | 1 | 10.6088 | 63 | 40.4 miles |
| Hickory | NC | 42,082 | 2 | 18.4574 | 166 | 46.8 miles |
| Spartanburg | SC | 40,665 | 7 | 35.0859 | 216 | 64.8 miles |
| Winston Salem | NC | - | 7 | 32.3218 | 230 | 70.4 miles |
| High Point | NC | 105,064 | 3 | 31.8326 | 88 | 71.3 miles |
| Hartsville | SC | - | 2 | 23.3042 | 83 | 71.5 miles |
| Columbia | SC | 130,246 | 23 | 20.8948 | 698 | 80.3 miles |
| Greensboro | NC | 259,523 | 7 | 44.9987 | 387 | 82.9 miles |
| Laurinburg | NC | - | 1 | 18.8047 | 40 | 82.9 miles |
| Dobson | NC | - | 1 | 13.9158 | 60 | 82.9 miles |
| Tigerville | SC | - | 1 | 63.4383 | 50 | 87.5 miles |
| Banner Elk | NC | - | 1 | 22.4512 | 43 | 88.7 miles |
| Burlington | NC | 53,389 | 3 | 40.9051 | 223 | 98.6 miles |
| Pembroke | NC | - | 1 | 53.5737 | 73 | 99.4 miles |