North Carolina Ranked 7th for Best State Economy in 2025

North Carolina has been recognized as having the 7th best economy in the U.S. News & World Report's 2025 rankings. The state's strong performance is attributed to a 2.6% job growth rate, surpassing the national average of 1.5%. The report analyzed all 50 states using 71 metrics across eight categories. In calculating the rankings, each of the eight categories was assigned weights based on the average of three years of data from recent national surveys that asked tens of thousands of people to prioritize various issue areas in their state. The top three weighted categories were education, healthcare, and economy. North Carolina's economy is supported by major industries such as banking, pharmaceuticals, and technology, with Research Triangle Park housing over 200 companies. See the full rankings here.