In my first year serving as Governor, I was proud to see our state and local leaders deliver economic opportunities to every corner of North Carolina.

Those records were not the only signs of all North Carolina has to offer. The nation and the world have taken notice.

For the third time in four years, CNBC named North Carolina the No. 1 state for business. Site Selection magazine ranked North Carolina the top state for workforce development. And Business Facilities magazine named North Carolina the top state for economic development. These recognitions reflect years of work to strengthen our workforce, prepare competitive sites, and modernize infrastructure. We are seeing the payoff.

Perhaps not surprisingly, North Carolina has also become the leading destination for domestic migration. Last year, we gained a net 84,000 new residents from other states – the highest total in the country and nearly 20,000 more than second-place Texas, a state with three times our population.

People across the country recognize what we know: North Carolina is the best place to live, work, and build a future.

We are now telling that story on a global stage.

Last year, I joined our economic development teams in France and Japan to meet directly with international business leaders. We made the case for North Carolina’s economy, workforce, and long-term competitiveness. Those conversations are already producing results, and we expect to see continued growth in foreign direct investment in the months ahead.

Even as we celebrated success, we remained focused on recovery. Western North Carolina made meaningful progress rebuilding from the devastating toll Hurricane Helene took on the region in September 2024. Visit North Carolina, EDPNC’s tourism arm, launched the Mountain Recovery campaign, generating more than 880,000 incremental trips and $1.6 billion in additional spending as mountain communities continue to rebuild.

Economic development is a team effort, and Team North Carolina is the best in the business. Our sustained growth depends on close partnership among the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the North Carolina General Assembly, EDPNC, the Governor’s Office, regional and local organizations, and private-sector partners across the state.

EDPNC’s mission is to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians. In 2025, that mission was met with record-setting results. We are committed to building on that momentum in 2026.