Press Releases

Today Governor Josh Stein and the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced grant awards to 13 local governments to support housing, infrastructure, and community improvement projects that benefit low- and moderate-income North Carolinians. The grants, totaling more than $13.7 million, were awarded through the department’s Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) program.

The North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), through the generous support of the Siemens Foundation’s groundbreaking $9.5 million total investment into the Careers Electric initiative, is launching 12 Summer Electrical Academies skilling 220 students at community colleges across North Carolina. In February, Governor Stein and the Siemens Foundation launched the program to train 25,000 North Carolinians for electrical careers within 10 years.  

Over the past week, Governor Josh Stein and Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley traveled to Switzerland and Germany to promote North Carolina as a top state for economic development investments and tourism.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce today announced an extension of the public comment period for the state’s Opportunity Zone nomination process, providing local governments, economic development organizations, and members of the public additional time to submit feedback and recommendations on eligible census tracts for consideration as North Carolina’s new Opportunity Zones.The extended deadline to submit nominations is now 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 21, 2026, providing local leaders and the public an additional two weeks to provide feedback.

Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 57 counties, increased in eight, and remained unchanged in 35 in April 2026. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.7 percent while Currituck County had the lowest at 2.7 percent. Eight of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases, one experienced a rate increase, and six remained the same. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.6 percent while Raleigh had the lowest at 3.0 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.4 percent.

As thousands of fans gathered in Charlotte over the weekend for the U.S. Men’s National Team Send-Off Match ahead of the FIFA World Cup, North Carolina stepped further into the global soccer spotlight through a series of major events and international team partnerships supported by the state’s Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund (MEGA Fund). 

Today Governor Josh Stein joined Pitt Community College President Maria Pharr and Tiana Berryman, Greenville’s Director of Neighborhood and Business Services, to highlight how the community college’s construction and industrial technology program is preparing students for the construction workforce.

Today Governor Josh Stein announced BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA), a global product leader of sustainable mobility solutions, will add 378 jobs in Henderson County. The company says it plans to invest $100 million in Hendersonville to vertically integrate its operations and produce critical components to support business growth. 

The state’s seasonally adjusted April 2026 unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, remaining unchanged from March’s revised rate. The national rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent.North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 0.1 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed decreased 9,660 over the month to 5,097,931 and increased 9,126 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 482 over the month to 196,615 and decreased 4,535 over the year.

Today Governor Josh Stein and the NC Department of Commerce announced North Carolina’s new "First in Opportunity” Strategic Economic Development Plan – a comprehensive statewide roadmap designed to guide North Carolina’s next phase of ec