North Carolina is 4th Best State for Business 2014

Previous State: Tennessee Next State: South Carolina

No. 4 North Carolina

Taxations & Regulations

Workforce Quality

Living Environment

Key Metrics
State GDP 
  • % Growth ’12-’13: 2.3
  • % Growth ’11-’12 v. Nat’l Avg. (2.5%): 0.2

Unemployment

  • Unemployment Rate Dec. 2013 %: 6.9
  • Comparison with Nat’l Rate (6.70%): 0.2

Domestic Migration

  • Domestic Net Migration 2013: 37,240
  • Rank: 3

State Government

  • State Debt per Capita Fiscal Year ’13 ($): 2,005
  • State & Local Gov’t Employees per 10k Residents: 599.7

State-Local Tax Burden

  • Rate (%): 9.9%
  • Compared to Nat’l Avg. (9.9%): 0.05%
Key Companies
  • Bank of America Corporation
  • Lowe’s Companies Inc.
  • Duke Energy Corporation
  • Niuco, Progress Energy
  • Reynolds American
  • VF Corp.
  • Goodrich
Development Trend Indicator: Positive
Passes tax-reform package hailed as by some as any state’s best in two decades.
CEO Comments
“Areas in North Carolina like Raleigh, Charlotte, Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham have been great places for technology companies. The workforce in these areas have very talented candidates. The western part of the state does not fair as well.”

Based on CEO Survey by ChiefExecutive.net

Sources:
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Bureau of Labor Statistics
NewGeography.com
The Tax Foundation

J.P. Donlon

J.P. Donlon is Editor Emeritus of Chief Executive magazine.

Share
Published by
J.P. Donlon

Recent Posts

The CEO’s Guide To A Stronger Immune System

To protect your immune system as you age, take steps to protect your overall health.…

14 hours ago

Don Yaeger’s The Film Room: 5 Ways To Make Your Processes More Efficient

The leaders who win consistently are those who sweat details, design for loyalty and experience…

1 day ago

Playbook: Successful Corporate Transformations

More than a third of large organizations are undergoing business transformations at any given time,…

2 days ago

5 Coaching Conversations Every New Manager Needs

In the first 90 days, the right conversations matter more than most new managers realize—and…

2 days ago

Motorola Solutions’ Greg Brown Is Chief Executive Magazine’s 2026 CEO Of The Year

A committee of his peer CEOs recognized Brown for transforming a once-struggling cellular handset manufacturer…

3 days ago

Ram Charan: A Manufacturing Playbook For A Turbulent New Era

The bestselling author and advisor to CEOs shares what he’s counseling manufacturers as they navigate…

5 days ago