51 counties · Boom Town Index

North Carolina

Avg BTI Score
53 / 100
Population
9.5M
+1.3% avg growth
National Rank
#24 of 51

State Overview

North Carolina's economy continues a growth trajectory into 2025 and 2026, marked by significant job creation and capital investment across diverse sectors. The state was recognized as Business Facilities magazine's "State of the Year" for economic development in 2025, a third such designation in six years. This growth is fueled by major investments in technology, biotech, and advanced manufacturing, particularly in the Raleigh-Durham "Research Triangle" area and the Piedmont Triad. Companies like Apple, Genentech, and Vulcan Elements are expanding or establishing new facilities, contributing to thousands of new jobs.

The housing market is experiencing stabilization rather than a downturn, with average home values seeing a minor decrease of 0.7% in the past year, reaching $332,681 as of September 2025. While sales are steady, buyers have increased negotiation power, with nearly 60% of sales closing below list price in August 2025. Population growth, driven by domestic migration, continues to exert pressure on housing supply, especially in popular metropolitan areas like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Durham, and their surrounding suburbs such as Apex and Fuquay-Varina.

Median Household Income
$65,873
State median across 51 counties
Median Home Value
$242,400
Income-to-home ratio: 0.27
Building Permits
80,491
Total residential permits
Natural Amenity
6.1 / 10
#26 of 49 · USDA scale

North Carolina Counties

51 counties
Rank County BTI Score Safety Proj. Growth GDP Pop Growth Income Ratio Home Price Climate P/R
01 Burke County 100 C+ +1.4% — -0.1% +5.2% 10.7x +2.2% 1.8 18x
02 Robeson County 100 F +0.1% — +0.0% +4.1% 6.3x -0.3% -1.5 7x
03 Lenoir County 98 F +2.7% — 0.0% +0.8% 4.2x +5.5% -1.7 12x
04 Wilkes County 95 C+ +1.3% — -0.1% +2.5% 11.3x +4.5% 1.9 20x
05 Lee County 93 D -0.7% — +1.9% +3.7% 9.6x +0.8% -0.7 12x
06 Caldwell County 92 C+ +0.6% — -0.1% +1.9% 11.8x +0.8% 1.5 22x
07 Rutherford County 90 B- +1.8% — +0.1% +3.3% 14.7x +4.7% 0.5 22x
08 Wayne County 90 D -0.4% — +0.9% +2.8% 10.3x -0.4% -1.4 11x
09 Surry County 88 C+ +2.0% — +0.0% -0.8% 8.6x +2.7% 1.2 19x
10 Carteret County 87 B +0.8% — +0.7% +3.0% 18.8x +2.1% 1.2 15x
11 Franklin County 87 C +0.2% — +3.4% +4.0% 25.0x -0.1% -1.4 13x
12 Sampson County 82 D +1.0% — +0.4% -1.4% 10.1x +3.8% -1.6 15x
13 Columbus County 81 F -0.3% — -0.6% +2.6% 10.4x +3.0% -0.4 15x
14 Harnett County 79 C +0.1% — +1.9% +3.3% 23.3x +1.0% -0.5 11x
15 Randolph County 75 B- +1.9% — +0.7% +3.3% 11.9x +3.7% -0.0 16x
16 Davidson County 74 B- +1.7% — +1.1% +2.8% 14.9x +4.7% -0.1 12x
17 Watauga County 68 B- -0.5% — +0.9% +0.6% 15.7x -0.0% 1.8 26x
18 Granville County 66 C+ +0.4% — -0.9% +0.2% 11.5x -0.1% -0.9 20x
19 Pitt County 65 C +0.5% — +2.9% -1.1% 7.2x +1.9% -1.7 13x
20 Rockingham County 64 D -0.6% — +0.6% +2.2% 13.5x +0.1% 0.1 14x
21 Onslow County 61 B- +1.2% — -0.3% +5.5% 18.7x +3.5% 0.7 13x
22 Catawba County 60 C +0.3% — +0.9% +5.1% 7.5x +1.4% 1.3 14x
23 Stanly County 60 C+ +0.7% — +1.7% -1.5% 13.8x +1.7% 0.7 13x
24 Henderson County 59 B -1.2% — +0.9% +0.8% 16.8x -2.4% 2.0 15x
25 Johnston County 55 B- -0.8% — +3.4% +4.4% 19.5x -0.6% -1.2 14x
26 Guilford County 54 D -0.3% — +0.9% +4.0% 7.6x +0.6% -0.8 15x
27 Wilson County 54 D -0.3% — +0.8% +9.8% 7.7x +1.2% -1.2 11x
28 Gaston County 52 C -0.3% — +1.5% +3.1% 13.5x +1.4% 0.4 13x
29 Alamance County 50 C -0.1% — +1.5% +1.9% 11.9x +1.5% -1.0 14x
30 Rowan County 50 D -0.3% — +0.9% +4.0% 11.5x +1.6% -0.1 15x
31 Cumberland County 48 D -0.0% — +0.5% +4.3% 9.6x +0.6% -0.7 12x
32 Forsyth County 48 D +0.0% — +0.8% +2.5% 7.4x +1.5% -1.1 14x
33 Brunswick County 46 B- -1.2% — +4.6% +4.0% 22.7x +0.2% 1.1 16x
34 Haywood County 44 B- +0.0% — +0.4% +1.5% 20.3x -4.5% 2.2 13x
35 Nash County 39 D -0.9% — +0.8% +2.8% 8.2x +0.5% -1.4 12x
36 Craven County 36 C +1.0% — +1.5% +1.9% 10.3x +2.7% 0.2 12x
37 Cabarrus County 32 B- -0.8% — +2.1% +3.4% 15.8x -1.2% -1.1 16x
38 Iredell County 25 B- -0.5% — +2.5% +3.5% 11.9x +1.4% 1.3 16x
39 Union County 25 B -1.0% — +2.4% +3.7% 20.5x -0.2% -0.3 17x
40 Lincoln County 24 B -1.1% — +2.6% +1.9% 18.2x +2.3% 1.5 16x
41 New Hanover County 23 C -0.9% — +1.7% +3.1% 10.6x -1.1% 1.2 20x
42 Cleveland County 23 C -2.6% — +0.8% +5.0% 10.4x -2.0% 0.8 14x
43 Pender County 18 C+ -0.8% — +3.3% +4.6% 24.4x -0.7% 0.5 13x
44 Hoke County 15 F +0.0% — +1.4% +8.0% 26.5x -0.1% -1.3 11x
45 Orange County 8 B- -0.7% — +1.6% +1.7% 10.8x -1.5% -1.4 23x
46 Moore County 8 B- -1.9% — +2.0% +3.9% 15.3x +0.8% 0.1 16x
47 Mecklenburg County 8 D -2.4% — +2.1% +3.9% 6.5x -0.8% 0.8 20x
48 Wake County 5 B -1.5% — +2.4% +3.9% 10.1x -2.2% 0.2 23x
49 Chatham County 4 B -1.0% — +2.3% +6.5% 31.2x +0.3% 0.4 21x
50 Durham County 3 D -1.8% — +0.9% +3.5% 5.3x -2.8% -0.3 19x
51 Buncombe County 2 B- -2.8% — +0.9% +5.5% 13.0x -4.5% 2.2 19x

Capital Investment in North Carolina

Tracked Projects · Public Records
$116.9B
Total tracked investment
35,618
Jobs announced
202
Projects across 45 counties

Where the money is going

Manufacturing $45.0B 38%
Data Centers $37.9B 32%
Energy $12.8B 11%
Commercial/Residential $9.9B 8%
Infrastructure $8.2B 7%
Industrial/Logistics $1.2B 1%
Other $915M 1%
Education $706M 1%

Top counties by investment

  1. 01 Harnett County $19.4B
    5 projects · 1,000 jobs
  2. 02 Randolph County $14.4B
    3 projects · 5,218 jobs
  3. 03 Chatham County $14.1B
    5 projects · 9,300 jobs
  4. 04 Catawba County $7.7B
    6 projects · 850 jobs
  5. 05 Cumberland County $7.6B
    6 projects · 1,119 jobs
  6. 06 Durham County $7.2B
    6 projects

Largest projects in North Carolina

Project County Amount Status
Fayetteville Data Center Campus
Energy Storage Solutions · Data Centers · 1,000 jobs
 Harnett County $19.2B Planned
Toyota Battery Manufacturing Plant
Toyota · Manufacturing · 5,100 jobs
 Randolph County $13.9B Under Construction
Fayetteville Data Center Project (Dunn Road)
Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) · Data Centers
 Cumberland County $6.4B Proposed
Corning Cable Manufacturing Expansion
Corning and Meta · Manufacturing
 Catawba County $6.0B Under Construction
John Palmour Manufacturing Center for Silicon Carbide
Wolfspeed · Manufacturing · 1,800 jobs
 Chatham County $5.0B Under Construction
Chatham Park (Master-Planned Community)
Preston Development Company · Commercial/Residential
 Chatham County $5.0B Under Construction
Novo Nordisk Biomanufacturing Campus Expansion
Novo Nordisk · Manufacturing · 1,000 jobs
 Johnston County $4.1B Under Construction
VinFast Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Plant
VinFast · Manufacturing · 7,500 jobs
 Chatham County $4.0B Under Construction
→ Methodology · How We Tracked $4T Across 858 Counties

Source: public records, corporate announcements, state EDC filings. Tracking projects with $25M+ in announced investment or 500+ jobs. Some figures are estimates where exact totals weren't disclosed.

North Carolina shaded relief terrain map
SRTM 30m shaded relief
State Spotlight · 2026-04-29

North Carolina sustains growth with tech and manufacturing investments

Driving economic expansion

North Carolina's economic growth is largely concentrated in the "Research Triangle" (Raleigh-Durham) and the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point). Apple's campus expansion in the Research Triangle and JetZero's new manufacturing facility in Greensboro highlight the state's appeal to technology and aerospace industries. The state recorded over $24 billion in capital investment from new and expanding companies in 2025.

Current housing market

The North Carolina housing market is stabilizing, with the average home value at $332,681 as of September 2025, a slight decrease of 0.7% year-over-year. Homes are typically going under contract in about 30 days, but nearly 60% of sales in August 2025 closed below the list price, indicating increased buyer negotiation. Inventory levels are increasing, with 49,179 homes for sale as of September 2025.

Migration patterns

North Carolina continues to be a top destination for movers, ranking third nationally for inbound migration in 2025 according to U-Haul data. Between July 2024 and July 2025, the state experienced the largest net gain in state-to-state migrants among all U.S. states, with 84,000 more people moving in than moving out. Charlotte and Raleigh remain popular metro areas for relocation.

Economic challenges

Despite overall growth, some areas face challenges. Western North Carolina is experiencing a slow recovery from Hurricane Helene, impacting the state's economy. Additionally, the state's unemployment rate is projected to increase to 4.1% by December 2026, up from 3.7% in August 2025. Rising costs for essentials like housing, childcare, and food have outpaced wage growth for many workers.

Key facts

  • North Carolina was named Business Facilities magazine's 2025 State of the Year for economic development. (Business Facilities, January/February 2026)
  • The state saw over $24 billion in capital investment from new and expanding companies in 2025. (NC Commerce, January 2026)
  • North Carolina added 64,400 jobs in the year leading up to March 2025, a 1.3% increase. (Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, April 2025)
  • The average North Carolina home value was $332,681 as of September 30, 2025, a 0.7% decrease from the previous year. (Zillow, November 2025)
  • North Carolina issued 11.8% more residential permits in February 2025 than in January 2025, though permits decreased by 4.1% year-over-year in February 2025. (Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, April 2025)
Updated 2026-04-29 · grounded research
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