Chief Economist Gerald Cohen told anchors on a WCNC newscast July 17 that North Carolina’s healthy economy and its high-quality workforce are driving its continued strong performance in CNBC’s annual Top States for Business rankings. Cohen also discussed the effect of housing prices, which have been rising in every county across the state, as shown by recent NC Economic Forecasting Initiative research.
North Carolina has the No. 2 spot on CNBC’s 2026 list, released July 9, and has ranked first or second in each of the last six years.
