Cabarrus County vs. Rowan County: Where Should Your Business Lease Industrial Space?
If you need warehouse, flex or industrial space north of Charlotte, your search will probably come down to two neighbors on I-85: Cabarrus County and Rowan County. They even share a city, Kannapolis, which sits in both.
The two counties offer different trade-offs. Rent, property taxes, the buildings available, the local workforce and the drive to Charlotte all differ, and the right answer depends on how your business runs.
This guide compares the two side by side so you can narrow your search before you start touring. If your lease ends in the next 12 to 18 months, now is the time to do this homework.
At a glance
Rowan County’s average asking rent is about $2.65 per square foot per year lower than Cabarrus County’s. Cabarrus is closer to Charlotte and has new space under construction. The two county property tax rates are almost the same.
| Cabarrus County | Rowan County | |
|---|---|---|
| Main towns | Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Midland, Mount Pleasant | Salisbury, China Grove, Landis, Spencer, Rockwell, northern Kannapolis |
| Industrial space tracked | 24.9 million SF | 20.2 million SF |
| Vacancy | 7.8% | 9.4% |
| Space available for lease | 9.6% | 7.6% |
| Average asking rent (NNN, $/SF/yr) | $10.06 | $7.41 |
| Net absorption, Jan to Sep 2026 | +365,000 SF | +954,000 SF |
| Under construction | 204,000 SF | None |
| County property tax rate, FY 2026-27 | 57.6 cents per $100 | 58 cents per $100 |
| NC Commerce tier, 2026 | Tier 3 | Tier 2 |
Market figures are third-quarter 2026 data for industrial buildings of 20,000 SF and up. The Charlotte region as a whole averages 7.1% vacancy and $9.18 per SF.
Net absorption is the space newly occupied minus the space vacated. Rowan’s available space is lower than its vacancy because some empty buildings are already leased and waiting for tenants to move in.
Cabarrus County: closer to Charlotte, higher rent
Cabarrus is the pick when being close to Charlotte matters more than rent. Its $10.06 average asking rent is above the regional average of $9.18, and the market is tightening. Vacancy fell from 8.7% to 7.8% between the second and third quarters of 2026.
Demand has been strong this year. Prime Beverage leased 934,000 SF at 1000 Stanley Drive in the spring, and Cabarrus accounted for 28% of all industrial leasing in the Charlotte region that quarter. Concord Commerce Center and International Corporate Center opened in the same quarter, and another 204,000 SF is under construction.
The main industrial areas are in Concord, Harrisburg, Kannapolis and Midland.
A good fit if you:
- Deliver to customers in Charlotte or Mecklenburg County most days
- Hire from Charlotte and want a shorter commute for your team
- Value location over the lowest possible rent
Watch out for:
- Rent about $2.65 per SF per year above Rowan’s average
- Competition for good space, since vacancy is dropping
Rowan County: lower rent and new buildings off I-85
Rowan has some of the lowest industrial rents in the Charlotte region. Its $7.41 average asking rent is the second lowest of the 16 Charlotte-area industrial submarkets; only Lincoln County’s is lower.
Large companies have taken notice. Rowan absorbed 954,000 SF in the first nine months of 2026, about 2.6 times Cabarrus’s total. Recent deals include:
- A confidential tenant leasing 730,000 SF at 2400 Old Beatty Ford Road (first quarter)
- American Eagle Outfitters leasing 473,000 SF at Innovation Logistics Center (third quarter)
- Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems announcing its first U.S. factory at Landis Ridge Industrial Park on October 20, 2026, with $50 million of investment and 300 to 500 planned jobs
Much of this growth comes from new buildings built on spec right off I-85. They include Overlook 85 at Exit 65, Rusher Farms Commerce Center at Exit 79 and Landis Ridge in Landis, where 1.3 million SF is planned. Earlier arrivals include Macy’s, Chewy, DHL Supply Chain and Chick-fil-A Supply, according to the Rowan Economic Development Council.
As of September 2026, no new industrial construction was underway in Rowan. As the newest buildings fill, the choice of brand-new space will shrink.
A good fit if you:
- Need a large, modern distribution or manufacturing building
- Want direct interstate access at a lower rent
- Don’t need to be in Charlotte every day
Watch out for:
- A longer drive to Charlotte, roughly 20 more miles up I-85 from Salisbury than from Concord
- New buildings that are mostly large: the Overlook 85 buildings run from 161,000 to 730,000 SF
- Higher combined tax rates in some towns (see the next section)
The real cost: rent plus taxes
At average asking rents, a 50,000 SF warehouse costs about $132,500 a year less in Rowan than in Cabarrus. That works out to $503,000 a year in base rent in Cabarrus and $370,500 in Rowan. Over a five-year lease, the gap is roughly $662,500 before annual increases.
Base rent is only part of the bill, though. Most industrial leases here are triple net (NNN), so the tenant also pays the building’s property taxes, insurance and common-area costs. Those vary from building to building, so always get the landlord’s current NNN estimate in writing.
Property taxes depend more on the town than the county. The two county rates are nearly identical, but city rates are added on top, and they vary widely.
| Location | County | Combined rate (per $100 of value) | Yearly tax per $1 million of assessed value | Rate year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | Cabarrus | $0.986 | $9,860 | FY 2026-27 |
| Concord | Cabarrus | $0.996 | $9,960 | FY 2026-27 |
| Landis | Rowan | $1.070 | $10,700 | 2025 |
| Kannapolis | Cabarrus | $1.136 | $11,355 | FY 2026-27 |
| Kannapolis | Rowan | $1.140 | $11,395 | 2025 |
| China Grove | Rowan | $1.140 | $11,400 | 2025 |
| Salisbury | Rowan | $1.245 | $12,450 | 2025 |
Combined rate = county rate + city rate. Sources: Cabarrus County tax rates and Rowan County’s 2025 rate sheet, the latest it has posted. Rowan kept its county rate unchanged for 2026-27, but town rates can change each year.
On a building assessed at $5 million, a Salisbury address pays about $12,450 a year more in property tax than a Concord address. Buildings outside town limits pay only the county rate plus a fire district tax, roughly 64 to 73 cents per $100 in either county.
Two more things to keep in mind:
- A cheaper building often has a lower assessed value, which can offset a higher tax rate.
- Your own machinery and equipment is taxed at the same local rate, whoever owns the building.
Workforce, access and incentives
Both counties share the I-85 corridor and much of the same labor pool, but a few differences can matter.
- Distance to Charlotte: Salisbury is roughly 20 miles farther up I-85 than Concord. That adds time for staff commuting from Mecklenburg County and for same-day deliveries into Charlotte.
- Wages: The NC Department of Commerce lists an average annual wage of $54,013 in Cabarrus and $57,155 in Rowan (EDPNC). Lower rent in Rowan does not automatically mean lower labor costs.
- State incentives: Rowan is a Tier 2 county for 2026 and Cabarrus is Tier 3 (NC Commerce). The state uses these tiers in several grant programs to steer projects toward less prosperous counties, so a Rowan site may qualify for better terms in some programs.
- Local help: Each county has an economic development group, the Rowan EDC and the Cabarrus EDC, that works with growing companies on sites, utilities and incentives.
- Training: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College serves both counties.
Which county fits your business?
The right choice comes down to where your customers and workers are and how much space you need.
| If your business… | Start your search in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Delivers into Charlotte most days or hires from Mecklenburg | Cabarrus: Concord, Harrisburg | Shorter drive for customers and staff |
| Needs 100,000 SF or more of modern distribution space | Rowan: Landis, China Grove, Salisbury | Newer large buildings at lower rents |
| Watches costs closely and can handle a longer drive | Rowan | About $2.65 per SF per year lower average asking rent |
| Needs less than 50,000 SF | Both counties, and start early | Across the region, spaces under 50,000 SF are only 3.2% vacant and average $12.31 per SF |
| Runs a lot of equipment | Compare specific towns | Combined tax rates run from about $0.99 to $1.25 per $100 |
| Wants to keep both markets in reach | Kannapolis | It sits in both counties, right on I-85 |
Your next step
Start looking 12 to 18 months before your lease ends. Finding space, negotiating, building out and moving often takes 9 to 12 months or more. Good buildings in both counties, especially those under 50,000 SF, don’t stay on the market long.
We help business owners compare buildings in Cabarrus and Rowan on total cost, not just asking rent. If your lease ends in 2027 or 2028, get in touch for a free lease review and a side-by-side look at your options in both counties.
Contact Ryan Kinney at 704-778-6100 or RyanK@newbranchRE.com.
Sources
- Cabarrus County, tax rates for FY 2026-27
- Cabarrus County, FY 2026-27 adopted budget
- Rowan County, 2025 tax rates
- Salisbury Post, Rowan County passes FY 2027 budget (via Ground News)
- NC Department of Commerce, 2026 county tiers
- EDPNC, county tiers and average wages
- Expansion Solutions, Xingyu plans Landis facility (Oct. 20, 2026)
- Expansion Solutions, Rowan County spec development (April 2025, sponsored by Rowan EDC)