565 Foreign-Owned Firms in Mecklenburg

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The quest of Charlotte’s leaders to assure a place for the area in the global economy has paid off as the number of foreign firms continues to increase in the region. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County show 565 foreign firms in 2009, an increase of more than 16 percent over the 2007 total. Part of this increase can be attributed to having better resources for identifying foreign firms, and there has also been an influx of new companies to the area.

Foreign-owned firms in Mecklenburg County employ more than 32,800 workers. The firms in Mecklenburg County represent 39 different countries. The top five countries by number of firms are Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Switzerland. These five countries represent 60 percent of the total firms in the County.

More than two-thirds of the region’s 850 foreign firms are located in Mecklenburg County. Germany leads the category with 130 companies, which is 23 percent of the county’s reporting firms. Since 2000, Germany has increased involvement in Mecklenburg by 30 percent, Canada has increased in number of firms by 41 percent and Japan has increased by nearly 16 percent. Sweden and The Netherlands have also expanded the number of companies in the area. The total number of foreign firms in Mecklenburg has increased by 185 companies since 2000, a growth rate of 48.7 percent.

The trend of increasing foreign investment is also represented by marking ten-year totals. From 1980 to 1990, foreign investment grew by 103 firms. The trend improved during the decade of 1990 to 2000 with an increase of 131 firms. With a 185-firm increase since 2000, Mecklenburg has already exceeded its previous 10-year numbers.