The typical Mecklenburg County household pays $2,304 a month — $27,645 a year — on household bills, 9 percent more than the national median, according to new figures from doxoINSIGHTS, the data service of the bill-payment company doxo.
That works out to $2,360 more per year than the U.S. median of $25,285, the company reports. Mecklenburg ranks as the fifth most expensive county in North Carolina for household bills, and those bills consume 31 percent of the county’s median annual household income of $90,140, according to doxo.
The figures come from doxo’s Cost of Bills Index, which compares the median cost of the 13 most common household bills — including mortgage and rent — across the country. The index sets the national median at 100; Mecklenburg County scores 109.
The largest gap by far is health insurance. The median health insurance bill in Mecklenburg County is $145 a month, 59 percent above the national median of $91, according to doxoINSIGHTS.
Most other bills cluster closer to national norms. Cable and satellite service runs $135 a month here, 8 percent above the national median of $125, and natural gas bills are 6 percent higher, at $81 versus $76. Auto loan payments, the largest single non-housing bill in the survey, are nearly even — $500 a month locally against a $492 national median.
Several everyday bills are cheaper here than in the rest of the country, according to the report. Electricity averages $121 a month, 6 percent below the national median of $129, and water and sewer service is also 6 percent lower, at $84 versus $90. Auto insurance is 12 percent lower — $96 against $109 — and alarm and security monitoring shows the biggest local discount, $67 a month, 15 percent below the national median of $79. Mobile phone service ($97), life insurance ($58) and waste and recycling ($69) also run slightly below national medians.
The data offers a local footnote as well: the most frequently paid biller in Mecklenburg County is not a utility but LabCorp, the laboratory company, accounting for 10.5 percent of bills paid, with a median bill of $35, according to doxo. NC Quick Pass tolls rank second. Duke Energy’s median bill here is $123, and the City of Charlotte’s is $81.
Doxo also reports how local households pay: 59 percent of bills are paid by debit card, 22 percent by credit card and 19 percent by direct bank transfer.
The complete county report, including comparisons for each bill category, is published by doxoINSIGHTS at doxo.com.
By the numbers — median monthly bills, Mecklenburg County vs. U.S. median (doxoINSIGHTS)
- All household bills: $2,304 vs. $2,107 (9% higher)
- Health insurance: $145 vs. $91 (59% higher)
- Cable & satellite: $135 vs. $125 (8% higher)
- Natural gas: $81 vs. $76 (6% higher)
- Auto loan: $500 vs. $492 (2% higher)
- Electric: $121 vs. $129 (6% lower)
- Water & sewer: $84 vs. $90 (6% lower)
- Auto insurance: $96 vs. $109 (12% lower)
- Alarm & security: $67 vs. $79 (15% lower)
- Mobile phone: $97 vs. $100 (3% lower)
- Life insurance: $58 vs. $60 (3% lower)
- Waste & recycling: $69 vs. $72 (5% lower)