Topics Related to Lead Feed

In July 2023, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released updates to the country’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) definitions. North Carolina saw several changes that are reflective of the dynamic nature of our state's population and economic growth and tell an interesting story about the evolving landscape of urban development across the State.

Women in North Carolina are earning postsecondary degrees at higher rates than men, yet a significant earnings gap persists. This analysis explores how education, earnings, and field of study intersect to shape gender wage disparities in the state.

How and where Americans work continue to evolve following the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census Bureau recently published data from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS), showing North Carolina ranked 11th among the states and District of Columbia in remote work – down from 13th in 2022.

Recent data indicate that North Carolina has experienced a significant decline in poverty over the past decade. This analysis examines changes in the state's poverty rate from 2013 to 2023 and highlights county-level differences in poverty levels.

North Carolina's business landscape is undergoing a dramatic demographic shift, with the number of Black and Hispanic business owners surging in recent years according to new data from the US Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey.

A recent blog using Census data showed that in most North Carolina counties, the majority of private-sector workers commute to a different county. This blog narrows in on commuting patterns in western North Carolina as a key factor to understand the road to economic recovery in the aftermath of Helene.

The Census’ latest release of the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data and 2022 Longitudinal Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) allows us to revisit levels of working from home and commuting patterns in North Carolina.

An aging population is transforming North Carolina’s healthcare and workforce needs. In this first blog of a new series on the healthcare workforce, we examine this demographic shift and its impact on the state’s healthcare sector.

In this edition of NC Economy Watch, we highlight three of the big questions we’ll be asking as 2025 gets underway: will Asheville’s labor market recover from Hurricane Helene? Will labor market conditions improve for jobseekers across the state? And will we see any more relief on interest rates?

The 2025 County Development Tiers went into effect on January 1, with a relatively large number of counties shifting tier from 2024. In total, eighteen counties changed tier in 2025. This blog will review the Tiers and highlight this year’s changes.