Around Lake Norman and in the south Charlotte area between South and Independence boulevards, median household income can top $100,000. There, Romney picked up heavy donations.

In neighborhoods near the intersection of Providence and Queens roads, for instance, donors gave Romney $331,000 and Obama, $72,700. That’s also one of Charlotte’s most affluent areas with a median household income of $219,000 – more than four times the city’s median, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Meanwhile, Obama outraised Romney in lower-income areas – particularly those north or west of uptown.

Residents in the areas around North Tryon Street and Old Concord Road made 198 donations to Obama for nearly $19,000. Romney got 11 donations for $4,600. Some neighborhoods in that section of Charlotte have a median income as low as $29,500.

Across the state, some of Obama’s biggest support came from health care interests.

One Charlotte radiologist supports the Affordable Care Act, passed under Obama.

“There are too many people that are uninsured (or) don’t have proper access to health care,” said Matthew Gromet, who gave $5,000. “There are people who fall between the cracks with pre-existing conditions or other circumstances. We see the personal tragedy side of this.”

Obama’s North Carolina take has grown, peaking at $2 million in September. Romney’s rose to $1.2 million August but slipped to $1.1 million last month.

Phillips, Romney’s state fundraising chair, said he’s encouraged. On Wednesday he got a call from an elderly woman who wanted to contribute.

“She said ‘There’s a figure I feel comfortable with,’ ” Phillips recalled. “And she said, ‘$30,000.’ ”

“That was a startling thing,” said Phillips, who made arrangements for her to give the money to a joint fundraising committee of the Republican Party and Romney campaign.