NC counties outperform US economy

(The Center Square) – “Widespread improvement” statewide is evident in North Carolina’s index measuring the economic health of its 100 counties. Ninety of the 100 counties have performed better economically than the United States as a whole since 2010, according to the Department of Commerce index. The state calculates the index using median household income, average wages, unemployment rates, and educational attainment. In 2024, alone, 11 counties, largely in the metro areas of the Triangle and Charlotte and extending from Virginia Beach, outperformed the U.S., the index shows. Seven counties – Moore, Cabarrus, Lincoln, Henderson, Davie, Franklin, and Pender – are “closing in” on the national score. The reverse is true for metro areas in Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Rocky Mount and Greenville. Those are “are barely keeping up or falling behind the U.S. – Fayetteville, the Triad, Goldsboro,” the index found. It also reflected the impact of Hurricane Helene in the fall of 2024. “Eight count