Why Burke County
Location Advantages
Located at the crossroads of two of the Southeast's most powerful economic regions Charlotte and Western, North Carolina - giving manufacturers access to talent, businesses, and consumer Markets in all directions via road, rail, air, and sea.
Access In All Directions
The Strength of One Community.
The NC Business Park sits at a rare geographic intersection - close enough to the Charlotte metro to draw from its vast, diverse labor pool, yet rooted in Western North Carolina's generations-deep manufacturing culture. No other site in the Southeast offers this dual-region advantage at this scale.
Burke County is within 45 minutes of over 424,000+ workers. That number isn't a projection - it's the result of two distinct, complementary labor markets converging on a single site that sits adjacent to I-40.
The Best in the US: Burke County Home to #1 Public Highschool in US and #3 Community College in US
Burke County manufacturers benefit from the top-ranked, collaborative network of education institutions and workforce development partners - focused on building a sustainable talent pipeline for local employers.
Workforce
424,000+ workers within 45 minutes. Skilled, experienced, and ready.
Burke County's workforce is defined by a manufacturing culture that spans generations. Workers here don't just fill jobs - they bring craft, precision, and a deep appreciation for quality that employers consistently cite as a competitive advantage.
Charlotte Region Data
A diverse, dynamic talent pool and economic engine can push business to the next level.
$281.3
BILLION
Gross Regional Product — outranking half of U.S. states
3.2M
Population of the Charlotte region
1.7M
Total jobs in the Charlotte region
135
People move to the Charlotte Region every day
Economic Development
LOW COST OF DOING BUSINESS
North Carolina's 2.25% corporate tax rate is lowest in the nation, falling to 0% by 2030
15% LOWER ELECTRICITY COSTS
Regionally, than the national average — more than 50% of power supply is from carbon-free source
TOP 10 FASTEST GROWING LARGE METRO
Projected population of 4.3M in 2050
TOP 10 MOST CONNECTED AIRPORTS
In the world with 180+ direct flights
Demographic & Industry Data
135
PEOPLE / DAY
move to the Charlotte Region every day
4.1%
Unemployment rate
32%
Growth in foreign-born population since 2020
22%
Higher concentration of production occupations than national average
25%
Growth in business and financial operations occupations since 2020
21%
Growth in professional, scientific, and technical services industry since 2020
14%
Labor force growth since 2020
12%
Growth in 20–34 year old population since 2020 — the region's fastest-growing age cohort, fueling a deep talent pipeline
The NC Business Park + North Carolina = A Winning Site in a Winning State
North Carolina and Burke County are built to compete.
State for Business
North Carolina's regulatory environment, tax structure, and infrastructure investment have made it consistently the #1 or #2 top-ranked state in the US for business location (Source: CNBC).
It Costs Less to do Business in NC
NC has the lowest flat corporate tax rate in the US, which is currently 2.0%. The state is implementing a multi-year phase out law that will reduce the rate to 1% in 2028 and eliminate it completely by 2030 (Source: NC Department of Revenue).
NC supports over 450,000 manufacturing employees across 10,000 firms, driven by strong technical training pipelines and prominent higher education networks (#1 in US by GDP/Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis).
A Fast-Growing Clean Energy Economy
NC has one of the most diverse energy portfolios in the US and is leading the clean energy transition - offering a competitive business environment for companies in solar, wind, nuclear, bioenergy, and electric vehicles (Smart Asset).
DOWNLOAD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON NORTH CAROLINA BELOW:
Looking for more?
Download State & Regional Reports
Browse the full library of The NC Business Park documents, workforce data, and Charlotte Region economic reports.
View All Resources