How has North Carolina’s Economy changed since 1990?

North Carolina’s economy has grown in the past 30 years, but in what industries, and by how much?  The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data accessible via D4.nccommerce.com recently added industry employment data all the way back to 1990.  This blog article will review this newly available data and share what has happened in the state’s economic activities over the 1990-2020 period.   

Let’s start by looking at the big picture statewide:

Employment increased statewide and so did the number of establishments . Between 1990 and 2020, statewide annual average employment increased by 1,241,911 or 40%.

To understand where some of the changes in the state’s economy have occurred over the last 30 years you can compare employment by Industry Sector (2-digit NAICS).  

To take us back and set the stage, in 1990 MC Hammer’s “Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em” was the top album for 21 weeks, “Cheers” was everyone’s favorite TV show, “Ghost” was the biggest draw at the box office and the Manufacturing industry was North Carolina’s top employer.  Manufacturing provided roughly two out of every seven jobs in the state – employment is more than double in Retail Trade and triple in Health Care & Social Assistance. Employment in these three largest industry sectors accounted for nearly half of the overall statewide employment.

NC Establishments and Average Employment by Industry Sector, 1990

Over the past 3 decades, most sectors have added jobs.  Three industry sectors have seen employment numbers more than double: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Administration and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services; and Health Care & Social Assistance.  On the contrary, three industry sectors have lost employment: Mining; Utilities; and Manufacturing.

% Growth in Industry Sector Employment, 1990 to 2020

In 2020, North Carolina’s industry employment base has become more diversified.  Five industry sectors, Health Care & Social Assistance; Retail Trade; Manufacturing; Educational Services; and Accommodations & Food Services, together accounted for about half of the total employment statewide.  Health Care & Social Assistance, the sector with the largest employment in NC, contributed one out of every seven jobs in the state.

NC Establishments and Average Employment by Industry Sector, 2020

Data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages can help answer a lot more questions about what happened in North Carolina’s economic activity over the years.  In the coming months we will review the data and provide additional insight through LEAD Feed articles and on LEAD’s Twitter account.  Stay tuned!