Topics Related to Lead Feed

Upon completion of a recent article reviewing housing values across the state, we discovered that inflation adjusted median housing values increased in 77% of North Carolina’s counties since 2014. This made us wonder if rental costs would follow the same pattern.

As the discussion about rising home prices continues, we wanted to provide an update on an article published in 2022 looking at the ACS 5-year Median Home Values and how home values were keeping pace with inflation across the state.

Our recent LEAD Feed article showed that home prices grew substantially in North Carolina and the nation during the pandemic. This article examines data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's Home Ownership Affordability Monitor (HOAM) to understand how homeownership affordability for current homebuyers has changed since 2019.

Housing costs rose sharply during the pandemic. Now, many more residents find themselves spending a larger portion of their income on rent or mortgage payments. To better understand housing affordability in North Carolina, this article explores housing cost burden for both homeowners and renters from 2010 to 2023, how cost burden has evolved, and which households are most impacted.

The North Carolina housing market has experienced remarkable transformations over the past two decades. Using data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Home Price Index and the Zillow Observed Renter Index, this analysis explores how home prices and rents have evolved in North Carolina compared to national trends and examines underlying factors like housing supply and mortgage rates.

The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) recently released the 2032 Regional Long Term Industry Projections for North Carolina. As reported in the summary of the 2032 Statewide Long Term Employment Projections earlier this year, over 500,000 new jobs are expected to be added to the North Carolina economy between 2022 and 2032, representing a percentage change of 10% . However, these trends vary significantly by region and industry.

The Labor and Economic Analysis recently released the 2032 Regional Employment Projections for nearly 140 industries and 840 occupations. These projections estimate future workforce demand based on historical employment trends and a range of economic factors and offer valuable insights for shaping education and workforce planning in North Carolina.

Last year, we published two articles examining the employment outcomes of older jobseekers in North Carolina’s labor market. This year, in recognition of Reentry Month, we take a closer look at what happens to older individuals after they leave prison in North Carolina.

As the 15th largest export state in the U.S., North Carolina plays a significant role in international trade. From 2019 to 2024, the state’s trade activity gradually recovered from pandemic disruptions and experienced solid overall growth. Unsurprisingly, exports declined sharply in 2020, falling 14%. However, levels steadily rebounded, with exports exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 7% by 2024.

Employer demand for healthcare workers soared after the COVID-19 recession, with job openings peaking in 2022-2023 before moderating throughout 2024. Despite easing labor market conditions, healthcare employers still struggle with hiring challenges, ranging from having too few applicants to having candidates with insufficient work experience. In this second installment of a series on the healthcare workforce, we explore the healthcare labor market from the perspective of employers.