“For the second year in a row, North Carolina has been named the top state for business in the nation by CNBC, and our highly educated workforce, world class education system, and largest manufacturing workforce in the Southeast contribute to that success.”
— Christopher Chung, CEO, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina (Photo: Adobe Stock / DigiDreamGrafix)
TARGETED GROWTH SECTORS
Automotive/Electric Vehicles: North Carolina is home to over 250 unique automotive companies, including heavy-duty truck, body and trailer, engine and transmission, and electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.
Clean Energy: In 2007, North Carolina became the first state in the Southeast to adopt a renewable energy portfolio and has passed bipartisan legislation to cut the state’s carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Aerospace/Aviation: More than 280 leading aerospace companies have operations in North Carolina and more than 450 aerospace manufacturing suppliers contributing to the supply chain.
TOP PROJECTS
COMPANY
CITY
JOBS
Kempower
Durham
601
Siemens Mobility
Lexington
506
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Wilmington
485
SOPAKCO
Laurinburg
440
Bosch
Lincolnton
404
FEATURED LOCATIONS
When you’re All In on an advanced workforce, you hire from a premier education system that includes three Tier-1 research universities and 58 community colleges. The result? CNBC naming North Carolina #1 for workforce and America’s Top State for Business in 2023.
Greenville is the thriving economic, educational, medical, and cultural hub of eastern North Carolina. With capital to coast connections, the Greenville-Pitt County MSA is a prime mid-Atlantic location with the infrastructure, workforce, and resources that companies need to succeed in advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and medical devices and supplies.
FAST FACTS
Population (July 2022 est.): 10,698,973¹
Largest Cities (2020): Charlotte (876,747); Raleigh (467,425); Greensboro (297,808); Durham (284,400); Winston-Salem (284,400)¹
Real GDP (2022): $559.5 billion²
¹U.S. Census Bureau ²Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Dept. of Commerce
OUTDOOR RECREATION ASSISTANCE
As North Carolina’s Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation sectors serve as key economic drivers, the state announced the Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies (CORE) Program in January 2023 to offer strategic planning and technical assistance to help rural communities leverage North Carolina’s abundant outdoor recreation assets to bolster local economic vitality.
TOP BUSINESS FACILITIES RANKINGS
#2 Best Business Climate
2024 State Rankings
#3 EV Investment
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Top 5 Life Sciences Leaders
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Top 10 Customized Workforce Training
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Top 10 Semiconductors
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#1 Best Business Climate (Large): Charlotte/Concord/Gastonia
2024 Metro Rankings
Top 5 Food Processing: Charlotte/Concord/Gastonia
2024 Metro Rankings
Top 5 Top Performing Container Ports: Port of Wilmington
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Top 10 Life Sciences Growth: Raleigh/Durham
2024 Metro Rankings
Top 10 Tech Talent Leaders (50k-125k): Raleigh/Durham-2024 Metro Rankings
Highlighting the life sciences industry’s evolution, JLL’s new 2024 Life Sciences Real Estate Perspective and Cluster Analysis introduces new rankings for talent and AI.
