North Carolina remains one of the nation’s top states for business.
CNBC announced this week that N.C. is No. 2 in its 2026 America’s Top States for Business ranking, falling behind Ohio.
“North Carolina’s got a good thing going,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a press release. “This is the sixth straight year that North Carolina has ranked in the Top 2 states for business.”
The state was previously ranked No. 1 in 2025, as well as consecutively in 2022 and 2023, and No. 2 in both 2021 and 2024 — falling behind neighboring Virginia both years. Virginia dropped to No. 3 this year.
According to the scorecard, the Tar Heel State earned an A+ for economy, ranking as the best in the country. It was also ranked third in workforce (A) and fifth in access to capital (A-).
North Carolina also had several B grades with lower rankings: technology and innovation (8); business friendliness (8); education (12); infrastructure (13); and cost of doing business (20).
There were two areas where the state received a C-: quality of life (34); and cost of living (35).
Stein said the latest ranking “proves that we can’t rest on our laurels.”
“Other states want what we have, and we’ve got to keep investing to build strong infrastructure, double down on our high quality of life, and make North Carolina more affordable to live, work, and raise a family,” the governor continued. “My administration is working to lower the cost of housing, child care, health care, and utilities – and I have long called on the General Assembly to join me in those commitments.
“When a state goes more than 1,000 days without passing a budget, you can’t be surprised to see some consequences. I am confident that the budget is a launching pad, not our landing place.”
Richmond County’s Gene McLaurin, chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, said the state is working hard to continue to be pro-business.
“Obviously, we’d always like to be No. 1,” McLaurin said, giving kudos to the Buckeye State. “Ohio is a tough competitor …and they’ve had some success.”
McLaurin said there are currently 250 projects in the pipeline with $50 billion in potential investment, which he said shows the state is well-positioned to continue to attract new businesses, as well as for current industries to expand.
From April to June, the governor’s office announced new projects in Northampton, Mecklenburg, Lenoir, Orange, Durham, Henderson, Davidson and Catawba counties, which are set to bring thousands of jobs in the coming years.
“North Carolina’s ranking as the No. 2 state for business is a strong reflection of our talented workforce, pro-jobs policies and commitment to keeping our economy competitive," Rep. Ben Moss said in a statement to the RO. "But we should never be satisfied with second place. To return to No. 1, we must continue lowering the cost of living for working families, expand housing availability, strengthen public safety, and invest responsibly in roads, schools, and other essential infrastructure. A strong business climate must go hand in hand with a high quality of life for the people who call North Carolina home.”
In Richmond County, facility and infrastructure work has been underway for the Amazon Web Services data center campus in the Energy Way Industrial Park, which was announced in 2025.
In his budget message for this fiscal year, County Manager Bryan Land also highlighted that construction of the sixth shell building is complete, with a potential closing date in September; and that Latham Pools will be expanding.
Duke Energy is both planning to expand its site on Airport Road and open a regional operations center in the Rockingham West Industrial Park.
The county also hosted the second year of NASCAR at Rockingham Speedway in April and is preparing to welcome the NHRA to Rockingham Dragway in September.
“North Carolina is growing and thriving, and remaining in the top two is just another reminder of all our state has to offer,” Stein said. “Let’s keep building our success story by investing in people and lowering the cost of living so that we can build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous North Carolina.”
NOTE: This story has been updated to add the quote from Rep. Ben Moss, which was sent after the initial publication. 2:10 p.m. 7-3-26.
