51 counties · Boom Town Index

North Carolina

Avg BTI Score
48 / 100
Population
9.5M
+1.3% avg growth
National Rank
#32 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 Franklin County 97 C +5.0% — +3.4% +4.0% 25.0x -0.0% -1.4 14x
02 Burke County 96 C+ +4.4% — -0.1% +5.2% 10.7x +2.5% 1.8 18x
03 Wayne County 93 D +0.7% — +0.9% +2.8% 10.3x +0.4% -1.4 10x
04 Watauga County 93 B- +3.4% — +0.9% +0.6% 15.7x +0.1% 1.8 26x
05 Wilson County 93 D +2.7% — +0.8% +9.8% 7.7x +0.9% -1.2 11x
06 Sampson County 88 D +4.2% — +0.4% -1.4% 10.1x +5.1% -1.6 15x
07 Henderson County 86 B +3.2% — +0.9% +0.8% 16.8x -2.1% 2.0 16x
08 Wilkes County 86 C+ +4.3% — -0.1% +2.5% 11.3x +5.5% 1.9 20x
09 Lee County 85 D +0.8% — +1.9% +3.7% 9.6x +0.3% -0.7 11x
10 Randolph County 84 B- +5.0% — +0.7% +3.3% 11.9x +4.0% -0.0 15x
11 Rockingham County 84 D +1.3% — +0.6% +2.2% 13.5x +0.5% 0.1 13x
12 Carteret County 78 B +4.4% — +0.7% +3.0% 18.8x +2.6% 1.2 15x
13 Harnett County 78 C +4.0% — +1.9% +3.3% 23.3x +0.9% -0.5 11x
14 Haywood County 75 B- +4.7% — +0.4% +1.5% 20.3x -3.8% 2.2 14x
15 Lenoir County 75 F +5.5% — 0.0% +0.8% 4.2x +7.2% -1.7 12x
16 Craven County 74 C +4.4% — +1.5% +1.9% 10.3x +2.2% 0.2 12x
17 Surry County 74 C+ +5.1% — +0.0% -0.8% 8.6x +5.2% 1.2 19x
18 Pitt County 71 C +3.9% — +2.9% -1.1% 7.2x +1.7% -1.7 12x
19 Caldwell County 68 C+ +4.0% — -0.1% +1.9% 11.8x +2.0% 1.5 22x
20 Stanly County 55 C+ +4.7% — +1.7% -1.5% 13.8x +2.3% 0.7 11x
21 Granville County 50 C+ +3.8% — -0.9% +0.2% 11.5x +0.4% -0.9 20x
22 Davidson County 49 B- +3.5% — +1.1% +2.8% 14.9x +4.2% -0.1 13x
23 Brunswick County 46 B- +3.6% — +4.6% +4.0% 22.7x +0.5% 1.1 16x
24 Guilford County 45 D +3.0% — +0.9% +4.0% 7.6x +0.8% -0.8 15x
25 Alamance County 44 C +2.1% — +1.5% +1.9% 11.9x +1.6% -1.0 15x
26 Catawba County 41 C +4.0% — +0.9% +5.1% 7.5x +1.2% 1.3 13x
27 Wake County 40 B +1.0% — +2.4% +3.9% 10.1x -2.2% 0.2 23x
28 Gaston County 38 C +2.6% — +1.5% +3.1% 13.5x +0.9% 0.4 13x
29 Johnston County 38 B- +2.9% — +3.4% +4.4% 19.5x -0.5% -1.2 14x
30 Pender County 35 C+ +4.6% — +3.3% +4.6% 24.4x -0.5% 0.5 12x
31 Forsyth County 33 D +1.5% — +0.8% +2.5% 7.4x +1.1% -1.1 13x
32 Rutherford County 30 B- +3.8% — +0.1% +3.3% 14.7x +5.8% 0.5 22x
33 Moore County 29 B- +3.1% — +2.0% +3.9% 15.3x +0.9% 0.1 15x
34 Columbus County 28 F +2.4% — -0.6% +2.6% 10.4x +5.4% -0.4 15x
35 Onslow County 26 B- +4.5% — -0.3% +5.5% 18.7x +3.3% 0.7 13x
36 Union County 26 B +2.8% — +2.4% +3.7% 20.5x -0.4% -0.3 17x
37 Rowan County 25 D +2.9% — +0.9% +4.0% 11.5x +1.3% -0.1 15x
38 Mecklenburg County 20 D +1.5% — +2.1% +3.9% 6.5x -0.7% 0.8 19x
39 New Hanover County 20 C +3.2% — +1.7% +3.1% 10.6x -0.4% 1.2 19x
40 Cabarrus County 20 B- +2.9% — +2.1% +3.4% 15.8x -0.7% -1.1 16x
41 Orange County 19 B- +0.6% — +1.6% +1.7% 10.8x -1.8% -1.4 23x
42 Cumberland County 18 D +1.7% — +0.5% +4.3% 9.6x +0.3% -0.7 12x
43 Cleveland County 16 C -1.1% — +0.8% +5.0% 10.4x -1.0% 0.8 14x
44 Robeson County 14 F +1.1% — +0.0% +4.1% 6.3x +0.1% -1.5 7x
45 Iredell County 14 B- +2.4% — +2.5% +3.5% 11.9x +1.2% 1.3 16x
46 Hoke County 13 F +3.3% — +1.4% +8.0% 26.5x -0.4% -1.3 10x
47 Lincoln County 11 B +2.7% — +2.6% +1.9% 18.2x +1.9% 1.5 17x
48 Chatham County 10 B +3.6% — +2.3% +6.5% 31.2x -0.1% 0.4 19x
49 Buncombe County 8 B- -0.8% — +0.9% +5.5% 13.0x -4.4% 2.2 20x
50 Nash County 8 D +1.6% — +0.8% +2.8% 8.2x +1.2% -1.4 12x
51 Durham County 2 D -0.7% — +0.9% +3.5% 5.3x -3.3% -0.3 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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