NC!A1=PROFILE("North Carolina")
North Carolina economy
North Carolina produced $895.9 billion of goods and services in 2025, ranking #9 among the states. Below: growth, income, prices, jobs and the industries behind the total.
Capital Raleigh11,197,968 people, 2025Statehood 1789Southeast region
GDP, 2025$895.9B#9 of 51 · 2.9% of US
Real GDP growth, 2025+1.8%#30 of 51 · US +2.3%
Income per person, 2025$68,274#36 of 51 · US $77,028
Unemployment, September 20263.4%#15 of 51 · #1 = lowest
Current dollarsReal, 2017 dollars
BEA, GDP by state (SAGDP1). 2025 is the latest annual estimate.
Industries, 2025
Value added by industry and its share of the state economy; rank among 51 by share.
| Industry | Value added | Share | vs US share | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate | $113.7B | 12.7% | −1.0 pp | 30 | ||
| Government | $101.5B | 11.3% | +0.2 pp | 20 | ||
| Manufacturing | $111.5B | 12.4% | +3.0 pp | 13 | ||
| Finance & insurance | $97.5B | 10.9% | +2.2 pp | 10 | ||
| Professional services | $65.3B | 7.3% | −0.7 pp | 19 | ||
| Health care | $60.2B | 6.7% | −0.8 pp | 41 | ||
| Wholesale trade | $52.7B | 5.9% | −0.4 pp | 27 | ||
| Retail trade | $54.1B | 6.0% | +0.2 pp | 27 | ||
| Information | $38.9B | 4.3% | −1.4 pp | 14 | ||
| Construction | $42.9B | 4.8% | +0.4 pp | 22 | ||
| Transportation & warehousing | $22.1B | 2.5% | −0.8 pp | 40 | ||
| Accommodation & food | $26.7B | 3.0% | −0.1 pp | 26 | ||
| Administrative & waste services | $31.8B | 3.5% | +0.6 pp | 6 | ||
| Other services | $18.5B | 2.1% | 0.0 pp | 31 | ||
| Management of companies | $17.6B | 2.0% | +0.2 pp | 16 | ||
| Utilities | $15.6B | 1.7% | +0.1 pp | 25 | ||
| Mining, oil & gas | $1.4B | 0.2% | −1.1 pp | 36 | ||
| Education | $11.3B | 1.3% | +0.1 pp | 13 | ||
| Arts & recreation | $7.2B | 0.8% | −0.2 pp | 33 | ||
| Agriculture | $5.5B | 0.6% | −0.2 pp | 29 |
BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Latest month: September 2026.
Metro areas in North Carolina
Metro areas with at least one county in the state; multi-state metros are shown in full. Sums of BEA county estimates, 2024.
| Metro area | Population | GDP | Income per person | Unemployment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 2,883,370 | $277.1B | $73,143 | 3.9% | |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 1,794,278 | $134.3B | $65,313 | 3.5% | |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 1,562,009 | $142.9B | $79,028 | 3.2% | |
| Greensboro-High Point, NC | 800,722 | $56.8B | $59,993 | 4.1% | |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 705,187 | $46.6B | $60,408 | 3.9% | |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 620,522 | $71.4B | $75,679 | 3.4% | |
| Wilmington, NC | 480,522 | $31.6B | $65,879 | 3.8% | |
| Asheville, NC | 422,333 | $28.3B | $67,592 | 4.5% | |
| Fayetteville, NC | 393,812 | $26.1B | $51,501 | 4.7% | |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 373,031 | $20.6B | $55,363 | 3.8% | |
| Jacksonville, NC | 212,954 | $12.5B | $57,449 | 4.0% | |
| Burlington, NC | 183,040 | $9.0B | $54,218 | 3.9% | |
| Greenville, NC | 180,783 | $12.5B | $58,765 | 4.1% | |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 147,114 | $9.2B | $54,127 | 5.1% | |
| Goldsboro, NC | 120,338 | $6.8B | $53,956 | 3.9% | |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 108,417 | $5.7B | $72,920 | 3.4% |