Press Releases

Forty Main Street Champions will be honored for their contributions to downtown revitalization and community building in 2023 during a recognition ceremony today in Goldsboro. With the addition of this year’s honorees, 415 Main Street Champions have now been recognized by the N.C.

Coinciding with Governor Roy Cooper’s “Equal Pay Day” proclamation and the National Women’s History Alliance 2024 theme of celebrating “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” N.C.

Twelve communities will receive awards for excellence in downtown revitalization during the annual North Carolina Main Street Awards Ceremony held in Goldsboro this evening. N.C.

Applications are again being accepted by the Department of Commerce for its professional development and education program for rural leaders in North Carolina.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in January 2024. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 8.8 percent while Greene County had the lowest at 2.7 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases.

The state’s seasonally adjusted January 2024 unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, decreasing 0.1 of a percentage point from December’s revised rate. The national rate remained unchanged at 3.7 percent.

Steel Warehouse Company, a leading steel service center, will create 58 new jobs in Catawba County, Governor Cooper announced today. The company will invest more than $30.5 million to locate a state-of-the-art facility in the City of Hickory.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced that Toyota will serve as the title sponsor for the upcoming Southeast U.S./Japan Annual Joint Meeting (“SEUS/Japan”), an important economic development conference aimed at increasing Japanese investment in North Carolina and the Southeastern United States.&nb

The 2024 North Carolina Main Street Conference is bringing community and economic development leaders together March 12-14 in downtown Goldsboro.

North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders today announced a new grant program to support the revitalization of downtown districts in the state’s rural communities.  The Department’s Rural Economic Development Division is now accepting applications from local governments for th