Press Releases

The 2023 North Carolina Main Street Conference is bringing community and economic development leaders back together in-person March 14-16 in downtown Statesville. The three-day annual conference, which is organized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and its N.C.

Raleigh, N.C. – North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders issued a statement today, following Fidelity Investments’ announcement of its Invest in My Education (ME)℠ initiative:

Felicia Culbreath-Setzer, NCWorks Regional Operations Director for the Northwest Prosperity Zone at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, was honored today as the recipient of the 2023 John R. Larkins Award.

Governor Roy Cooper announced 28,690 new jobs in North Carolina in 2022, representing 182 business recruitment, expansion or rural development projects that engaged with the North Carolina Department of Commerce or its team at the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. in 2022.  These projects will bring $19.3 billion of capital investment into the state, marking new all-time highs for economic development performance.

After a historic year for job announcements and investments, North Carolina has been named the “State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. In 2022, Governor Roy Cooper announced a record number of over 28,300 jobs coming to every corner of the state and CNBC ranked North Carolina as the top state in the country to do business. The Governor also made once-in-a-generation investments focused on strengthening the state’s workforce while leading the transition toward a clean energy economy.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 92 of North Carolina’s counties in November, increased in four, and remained unchanged in four. Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.3 percent while Buncombe and Orange Counties each had the lowest at 3.0 percent. All fifteen of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 5.9 percent while Asheville had the lowest at 3.1 percent. The November not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.8 percent.

Today, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders announced that M. Antwon Keith will serve as the acting Assistant Secretary for the Division of Employment Security (DES). As Assistant Secretary, he will be responsible for the division’s operations, communications and accountability as it administers the state’s unemployment insurance program. “DES will benefit from the years of leadership experience and wealth of knowledge in the field of unemployment insurance that M. Antwon Keith brings to this position,” said Secretary Sanders.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded 30 Community Development Block Grant - Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) fund requests to 27 local governments totaling $42.3 million. The requests will provide housing and public improvements for low- and moderate-income North Carolinians. 

The state’s seasonally adjusted November 2022 unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, increasing 0.1 of a percentage point from October’s revised rate. The national rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent. North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 0.3 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed decreased 8,381 over the month to 4,925,524 and increased 141,392 over the year. The number of people unemployed increased 6,442 over the month to 200,523 and decreased 10,115 over the year.

Governor Roy Cooper announced today that 42 local governments in rural areas across the state have been awarded grants from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, supporting rural economic development projects in North Carolina. A total of $19.76 million will be issued in this second round of grantmaking from the Fund, which helps local governments overcome challenges that limit their economic competitiveness. The funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, signed by President Biden last year.