North Carolina boasts the No. 2 best business climate in the nation and ranks as the fourth-best state for tech talent pipeline, according to Business Facilities magazine.
North Carolina rose from fifth last year in the best business climate component of Business Facilities’ annual rankings released today. The recognition comes on the heels of North Carolina rising to No. 2 on CNBC’s “America’s Top States for Business” list. North Carolina has also been Forbes’ choice as the nation’s best state for business three years running.
North Carolina snared the tech sector’s most coveted economic deal this year when Apple chose Research Triangle Park as the location of its first East Coast campus, according to Business Facilities. The $1-billion project will create 3,000 new jobs with an average annual salary of $185,000.
“This crown jewel of high-tech R&D will build a sustainable tech talent pipeline as it develops world-class
facilities,” said Business Facilities Editor in Chief Jack Rogers. “As the home of NASCAR, North Carolina is no stranger to high-performance racing. NC has secured the pole position in a high-stakes contest for tech sector hegemony.”
North Carolina was a top-10 finisher in many other categories of the Business Facilities report. They include:
Installed solar power capacity (No. 3), biotechnology (5), foreign direct investment (6), customized training (6), manufacturing output as a percentage of GDP (7), food processing leaders (8), artificial intelligence (8), best business tax climate (10), fastest-growing state (10), and offshore wind power (10).
In January of this year, Business Facilities named North Carolina its 2020 State of the Year, a title recognizing the state’s success in winning projects that create capital investment and new jobs.
In the magazine rankings issued today, Virginia won the top spots in the best business climate and tech talent pipeline categories. Rounding out the top five in tech talent pipeline were California (No. 2), New York (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 4) and Maryland (No. 5). The magazine evaluated factors including each state’s tech talent investments, STEM-oriented education programs and partnerships between industry, universities and local economic development organizations.
Click here to view the full 2021 Business Facilities rankings report, including recognition of North Carolina metro areas.