Newly released tax data from Mecklenburg County suggests areas of Charlotte heavily impacted by last November’s Border Patrol surge saw a sharp decline in business activity.
Tax records obtained by WFAE show taxable business receipts in four ZIP codes covering east Charlotte and parts of the South Boulevard corridor totaled $40.2 million in November 2025, down from $44.8 million during the same month in 2024.
The decline of approximately $4.6 million represents a drop of about 10%.
The ZIP codes — 28205, 28209, 28212 and 28217 — include neighborhoods where CBP concentrated much of its large-scale immigration enforcement operation.
The operation resulted in hundreds of arrests and disrupted daily life in many immigrant communities, prompting some businesses to close temporarily and causing residents to stay home out of fear.
Countywide, total tax collections fell about 5% during the same period, meaning the decline in those ZIP codes was roughly double the overall county decrease.
