Charlotte, NC (population: 723,514) has three interactive media design schools within a 100-mile radius of its city center. Greensboro College, the highest ranked school in this group with an interactive media design program, has a total student population of 1,264. It is the 580th highest ranked school in the USA and the 24th highest in the state of North Carolina (#1 is Duke University).
Interactive Media Design students from Charlotte schools who go on to become interactive media designers, media designers, multimedia designers, digital media designers, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. Also, Graphic designers make on average $47,820 per year and there are about 200,870 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 3 interactive media design schools with a 100-mile radius of Charlotte, only 1 has a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Greensboro College comes out as the most expensive ($18,716/yr) for interactive media design students, with University of South Carolina-Columbia as the lowest, reported at only $14,611/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 |