Why Has Housing Become So Unaffordable?
In the past few years, buying a home has become much more expensive for the typical North Carolina household. We look at a few of the reasons why costs are rising so sharply for new buyers.
north carolina
Housing Affordability in North Carolina
The Kenan Institute has developed a housing affordability index for North Carolina counties. The index and accompanying interactive map allow users to compare current county-level affordability metrics and see how these measures have changed over time.
Understanding the Importance of County-Level GDP
Forecasting gross domestic product is a challenging practice, but because GDP can reveal so much about the growth of a local economy, forecasts are an important guide in making policy and business decisions.
From Access to Alignment: NC Community Colleges Evolve To Serve Today’s Learners
Recent Kenan Institute research based on interviews across the state highlights the successes and remaining barriers that North Carolina community colleges face in recruiting and retaining students as the labor market continues to evolve.
Scaling Apprenticeships: Activating the Talent Poised To Fuel North Carolina’s Future
North Carolina’s growing skills gap reflects a national challenge, but the state’s robust job market is creating high-paying opportunities for skilled workers. We talked to four experts about how to successfully scale the state’s apprenticeship and training efforts.
Getting Quick, Flexible Funding to Community Anchor Institutions Recovering from Disasters
Public education and small business anchor institutions recover slowly after disasters, as observed in Western North Carolina’s continuing recovery from Hurricane Helene. One organization offers a lesson on the benefits of getting funding to these sectors faster.
NC’s Phosphate, Quartz (Silicon), and Lithium Resources in Clean Energy
We estimate that industries producing in-demand minerals could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax revenue for North Carolina and its communities by the end of the decade.
Rethinking Economic Distress: Why NC’s County Tiers System Is Due for an Overhaul
North Carolina adopted its County Tiers System to direct economic support toward struggling counties. An examination shows the nearly 40-year-old system is increasingly misaligned with both economic reality and stakeholder needs.
Fueling Local Economies: How Business Formation Drives Growth in North Carolina
New business formation fuels local growth in North Carolina and offers real-time data to guide policy and forecasting, according to new research from the Kenan Institute, the North Carolina Collaboratory, and the Secretary of State.
40 Years of Impact: The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
Learn about the legacy and the future of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, part of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as it marks its 40th anniversary.
From Tobacco to High Tech: Manufacturing in the Piedmont Triad and the Research Triangle
The Research Triangle and the Piedmont Triad epitomize North Carolina’s economic evolution. The Triangle transitioned from legacy industries to high-tech manufacturing and experienced explosive economic growth; the Triad may be poised to join it.
The Home Insurance Crisis Comes to North Carolina: Rising Costs, Heightened Risk and a Changing Climate
The destruction that Hurricane Helene brought to Western North Carolina in September, followed by this month's wildfires in Southern California, illustrates the financial risk that increasingly unpredictable weather can pose to homeowners and the insurance system.
Shaping North Carolina’s Future with Jim Johnson
Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center, discusses how his research sheds light on key issues that will help determine the state's economic future.
Growth for All: Strategies for Ensuring Inclusive Economic Development
With economic growth can come growing pains, such as an increased cost of living and displacement of local businesses. An NCGrowth report examines how communities with a large manufacturer can minimize those pains.
Building Infrastructure Transforms Economies
Recent infrastructure legislation offers an opportunity to focus on how new projects can increase wealth in communities with the greatest needs and minimize harm to the environment, all while supporting the broader economy.
Building an Inclusive Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
As a destination for both migration and business growth, North Carolina must reassess the capabilities of local entrepreneurial and small-business ecosystems to ensure that its diverse population of aspiring entrepreneurs and small-business owners has equitable access to opportunities.
ncIMPACT Panel Tackles Workforce Shortages
Chief Economist Gerald Cohen joined N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders and UNC Associate Professor Erin Fraher, deputy director of the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, on Wednesday for an ncIMPACT Virtual Town Hall with host Anita Brown-Graham. The panelists discussed which sectors have been hit by worker shortages particularly hard and where the talent to fill those positions will come from.
Analysis: Triangle CEOs pay soared in 2021
CEOs of the Triangle saw significant raises last year, according to a recent Axios analysis. Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen weighs in on these surging salaries and the gap between managers and company leaders, calling it the “superstar effect.”
Gerald Cohen Will Be Panelist for Discussion of NC Labor Shortages
Chief Economist Gerald Cohen will be a panelist for an ncIMPACT Virtual Town Hall on workforce shortages in the state that will be livestreamed at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 4 on Facebook Live.
Where are the Workers?
“Every business I enter is looking for employees” was a common refrain in our Carolina Across 100 survey, with 79% of the total survey sample selecting employment/staffing concerns among their top three negative impacts of COVID-19 on their organization. Is the staffing shortage just a function of COVID-19 that will correct itself as COVID abates or are there larger demographic and economic forces at work? The answer is a bit of both.
Creating Better Futures Through Economic Development
CREATE, an economic development center at the institute, worked with civic and business leaders in Rocky Mount last summer to plan a Black Business Matters District downtown in an effort to address the racial wealth gap in the area. Executive Director Mark Little will join CREATE’s Rocky Mount partners on a panel at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 24 to share their work as part of Carolina’s Engagement Week.
Growth in the Home State: Experts Weigh Influence of N.C. Tech Companies
Total funding in North Carolina hit a record $3.4 billion in 2020 with the potential to hit $4 billion in 2021, along with a 10% increase in the number of companies funded, but it’s often a challenge to get cash cycled into new companies and new investments.
Dean’s Speaker Series — Machelle Baker Sanders
On Wednesday, Feb. 9, North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders joined UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Doug Shackelford for a virtual discussion. Sanders discussed the many challenges facing rural North Carolina and the solutions that are being proposed to make the state's businesses and citizens thrive post-pandemic.
May 24, 2026
Virtual Event – Dean’s Speaker Series: Machelle Baker Sanders
Please join us for an exclusive virtual conversation with North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders on Wednesday, February 9. This discussion is part of the Dean’s Speaker Series, hosted by Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Doug Shackelford.
Positive Ripple Effect Expected From Tech Giant’s Move to RTP
Apple’s plans to build a new campus and engineering hub in the Research Triangle Park is estimated to bring about 3,000 new jobs to the region and boost the state’s economy by almost $79.8 billion over 39 years. Kenan institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen answers questions from The Well just how far the company’s impact will reach in the local and state economies.
COVID-19 Exacerbates U.S. Childcare Crisis
Urban Investment Strategies Center Director Jim Johnson and UNC Professor Jeanne Milliken Bonds assess the link between childcare systems and U.S. economic and social health, highlighting the way the pandemic has underscored the critical connection – especially in rural and low-income communities.
New Executive Order Focuses on Vulnerable Communities
On Jan. 7, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced a sweeping new executive order that aims to achieve net-zero emissions within 30 years while protecting and empowering North Carolina’s underserved communities. Urban Investment Strategies Center Director Jim Johnson, who serves as chairman of the N.C. Department of Environmental Justice and Equity Board and as a member of the task force on social, economic and environmental equity, accompanied Cooper at a press conference in support of the order at N.C. A&T State University. Read Johnson's statements here.
New Study Highlights Caregiver Loss During Pandemic
A new study estimates that more than 3,600 children in North Carolina have lost a caregiver due to COVID-19. Urban Investment Strategies Center Director Jim Johnson believes communities haven’t started to process just how much these losses have impacted them.
Future Toyota Plant to Benefit Local, State Economy
Toyota announced a plan to build its first North American battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County, North Carolina — a $1.272 billion project that’s expected to bring up to 3,000 jobs – in 2025. Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen said the investment will be beneficial for the region and state, citing the “network effects” these types of facilities can create.
May 24, 2026
Virtual Event – UNC Affordable Housing Symposium
North Carolina has been a relatively affordable place to live, but the housing climate is shifting as industry booms. On Nov, 19, join the Wood Center for Real Estate Studies and the Kenan Institute for the UNC Affordable Housing Symposium where industry and academic experts will explore how the Triangle can prepare for the future. Over the course of three interactive sessions, attendees will learn about an innovative model for preserving affordable workforce housing in high-impact locations, engage in a conversation around the impediments to developing new workforce housing communities, and ponder how shifts to remote work might impact the region’s housing affordability.
Carolina Across 100 – Economic First Responders: How Government Stepped in to Help
Federal, state and local governments worked hard to sustain entrepreneurial ecosystems, and especially small businesses, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these programs were successful in helping businesses stay open during desperate times.
Carolina Across 100 – The State of North Carolina’s Small Business During COVID-19 Pandemic
Thirty-five percent of respondents from the Carolina Across 100 Survey said that loss of small business had a negative impact on their community during the pandemic. There is good reason to fear this loss. Small businesses play a vital role to their communities. Specifically, they provide economic mobility, breed innovation, deliver crucial services for communities and drive economic growth.
Kenan Institute Executive Director Featured on ABC-11
In a recent ABC-11 news feature, Kenan Institute Executive Director Greg Brown weighed in on the proliferation of new businesses formed in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: NCGrowth — Blueway Guide Launch
Co-hosted by the North Carolina Office of the US Economic Development Administration and the North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Industry Office at the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, NCGrowth’s Blueway Guide provides communities the tools they need to leverage waterways for economic development and increased quality of life. Speakers will include outdoor industry businesses, economic development professionals and community leaders.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: UNC Entrepreneurship Center — The UNC Difference: Coming to RTP
The UNC Entrepreneurship Center will release a year-end update to its 2020 Trends in Entrepreneurship Report as part of its announcement of a new partnership with the Research Triangle Foundation (RTF) at The UNC Difference: Coming to RTP.
COVID Ended a Decade-long Economic Expansion in North Carolina. Now What?
2020 brought an end to North Carolina’s decade-long economic expansion that began in 2010 after the Great Recession. It has now been a year since COVID-19 arrived on U.S. shores, and we can see some changes clearly, while others are just starting to emerge from the haze. It will likely be years before we fully grasp the myriad ways COVID-19 has affected the nation’s and the state’s economies. Now seems like a good time to take stock of the fallout from 2020, the trends we’re seeing a year into the crisis and where things are starting to turn around for North Carolina.
Tackling the Housing Crisis Brewing in America’s Native Communities
American Indian communities face a growing housing crisis, compounding long-standing social and economic challenges. In this Kenan Insight, we examine the structural and historic factors that underlie the current lack of affordable housing, and identify several promising options for both addressing the immediate crisis and improving the broader economic situation for tribal communities.
May 24, 2026
Press Briefing: Pre-election Report Identifies Seven Major Forces Reshaping the U.S. Economy
Join the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the North Carolina CEO Leadership Forum September 22 for the launch of a new report examining the state of our national economy – and exploring its future.
NCGrowth’s Collaboration-based Work Profiled by UNC System
As North Carolina's entrepreneurs, industries and communities move forward amidst COVID-19, Kenan Institute affiliated center NCGrowth is helping to make sure they have the tools to succeed when business can fully re-open again.
Little Named to North Carolina Black Entrepreneurship Council
Mark Little, executive director of CREATE, a Kenan Institute-affiliated center, has been named to the inaugural North Carolina Black Entrepreneurship Council (NC BEC). The council was founded by NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic empowerment in North Carolina.
Kenan Institute Executive Director Weighs in on Worker Confidence
Greg Brown, executive director of the Kenan Institute, spoke with ABC 11 (WTVD) News about LinkedIn’s workforce confidence survey. The survey shows that North Carolina workers’ confidence in workplace safety dropped 10 points from May to June — which Brown said is not surprising.
A New Plateau?
The health and economic data from this past week brought both good and bad news about the state of affairs in North Carolina. Health data suggest the growth in new cases is slowing, that hospital capacity remains available and that we might be getting a better handle on identification. While this is certainly encouraging in the battle against the pandemic, a similar levelling off in business activity does not bode as well for the economy. In this week’s commentary we seek to unpack some of the details in the data to understand what may be a new plateau.
North Carolina Governor Names Jim Johnson to New Equity Task Force
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has named Dr. James H. Johnson Jr., William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and director of the Kenan Institute-affiliated Urban Investment Strategies Center, to the newly created Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force.
Reopening Amid COVID-19: The False Choice between Lives and Livelihoods
As federal, state and local governments struggle to reopen the economy as the COVID-19 pandemic surges onward, efforts to ensure people’s health and safety are seemingly at odds with attempts to spur economic activity. In this Kenan Insight, we explore how a data-driven approach to reopening North Carolina (and the U.S. as a whole) can help preserve both lives and livelihoods.
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $300,000 in CARES Act Funding to Boost University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Capacity to Help Communities and Businesses Respond to and Recover from Economic Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $300,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's NCGrowth University Center to boost their capacity to support regional economic development strategies in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
May 24, 2026
Press Briefing: State vs. Fed Government: Who’s Footing the COVID-19 Bill?
A panel of experts convened by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and its affiliated Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise will be offering a press briefing via webinar on the vital role state governments have played in response to COVID-19, the significant variance we’ve seen in responses state by state, and what’s next as governors and state lawmakers work with the federal government to fund relief while working to balance their own budgets. Join tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19, at 11 a.m. EDT.
What Local Governments Should Know about Creating Emergency Business Loans
The UNC School of Government’s Development Finance Initiative (DFI) provides financial and development expertise to communities interested in neighborhood redevelopment and redevelopment, downtown revitalization or affordable housing projects, among other initiatives. DFI helps these communities attract the private investment necessary to successfully finish their desired projects.
“There’s always an opportunity”: Learnings from North and South Carolina businesses in the time of COVID-19
In the latest webinar collaboration with NCGrowth, Entrepreneurship Center Executive Director Vickie Gibbs spoke with three current and former clients of NCGrowth about COVID-19’s impact on small business.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Small Business Employment
The COVID-19 pandemic has put 18 million jobs at small businesses in the U.S. at risk – which could as much as quadruple the nation’s total unemployment rate. The effects of both the coronavirus and recent government relief programs were explored by a panel of Kenan Institute-convened experts during a press briefing held yesterday. The full recording of this briefing—along with a deeper-dive analysis on the specific implications of the financial downturn on small business employment by Kenan Institute Research Director Professor Christian Lundblad and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Paige Ouimet—is available in this week’s Kenan Insight.
May 24, 2026
Launch of the North Carolina Capital Scan Report
Hosted by the North Carolina Investment Forum, this invitation-only breakfast will bring together members of the private capital community to launch efforts in compiling a comprehensive analysis of capital availability in North Carolina.
CREATE Executive Director and NCGrowth Co-founder Mark Little Featured as Guest on ‘Carolina Business Review’
Mark Little, executive director of the Kenan Institute affiliated center CREATE and co-founder of NCGrowth, appeared on the Friday, Feb. 21 episode of WTVI PBS Charlotte's "Carolina Business Review." Mark discussed economic development across the Carolinas with with Jeff Ruble, Richland County, South Carolina director of economic development; Pat McCrory, former North Carolina governor; and host Chris William. Watch the full episode here.
NCGrowth Fall Showcase: Going Wild in Asheboro
Twice each year, NCGrowth showcases its clients, recent projects and upcoming work in a unique place. On Dec. 13, the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro hosted the event. Attendees learned about Asheboro, Randolph County and the broader Triad economy, and recent NCGrowth projects – and got to visit with some of the zoo’s animal inhabitants.
Inaugural Software Growth & Investment Symposium: Funding the Triangle’s Burgeoning Tech Ecosystem
In partnership with Vista Equity Partners, NCIF hosted the inaugural Software Growth & Investment Symposium on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. The event brought together members of the Triangle’s burgeoning tech ecosystem to learn from leading software executives and their investors about proven approaches to scaling from $10 million to $100 million annual recurring revenue.
NCGrowth: High Point Immersive
On Nov. 19, NCGrowth visited High Point, North Carolina, to learn more about the city’s unique legacy, recent developments and future revitalization efforts.
CREATE Director Maryann Feldman Featured in WRAL TechWire Article
Maryann Feldman, director of CREATE Prosperity, discussed her work on building an entrepreneurial startup database with data from across North Carolina at the NC Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Summit on Monday in Raleigh.
Business of Healthcare Conference 2019: The Future of Healthcare
The conference, hosted by the Center for the Business of Health, the Kenan-Flagler Healthcare Club, and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, attracted students, faculty and practitioners from all sectors of the healthcare system.