1. The economic recession hit Eastern NC workers extremely hard.  As of January

2010, Eastern NC’s unemployment rate percent was 11.5 compared to the national

unemployment rate percent of 9.7.  According to the NC Department of Commerce,

22 of the 40 Eastern NC counties have been designated “Tier 1” counties for 2010. 

This designation means that these counties are among the 40 most economically

distressed counties in the state.

 

2. Another indicator that the region is not thriving is its declining population. 

The NC Office of State Budget and Management found 14 NC counties lost

population from 2000-2009, and 10 of the 14 were Eastern NC counties. 

Furthermore, the 10 Eastern counties had a higher percent of decline compared

to the 4 other counties.

 

3. The NC General Assembly considers 38 of the 40 Eastern NC counties to be

rural counties.  Rural counties in NC have a child poverty rate of 18.5%, and 11.3%

of individuals in rural counties receive food stamps.  32% of people in rural counties

have a high school diploma, and only 15% have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

 

4. For the 2008-2009 school year, 17 of NC’s 40 Eastern counties had high school

dropout rates higher than the state average, and as of 2010, NC had the 5^thworst

graduation rate in the country.  In other words, almost half of NC’s Eastern counties

have some of the worst graduation rates in the country.

 

5. North Carolinians living in the Eastern part of the state do not have as great an

access to health care as the rest of the state.  For instance, as of 2007, Eastern

NC had fewer primary care physicians per person and an infant death rate higher

than the rest of the state.

 

6. Agriculture is a vital sector of North Carolina’s economy in general.  In 2007,

agriculture added nearly $9.3 billion to the gross state product, making NC the nation’s

eighth leading farm state.  Moreover, NC ranked in the top 5 nationally in eight

categories of agricultural sales.  However, several factors are challenging the

future of agriculture in NC: globalization, changes in the basic structure of agricultural

markets, increasing regulation, modest farm incomes, very few young people are

replacing the aging farm population, and development pressure from growing urban

areas that has lead to subdivisions and shopping centers replacing farms on some

of the state’s most productive acreage.

 

7. Farming is especially important to the economy of Eastern NC.  In 2008, 5 out

of the top 7 NC counties in farm cash receipts (receipts from commercial market

sales of livestock, dairy, poultry, and all crops) were located in Eastern NC.

 

8. In the “Southeast” region, more than 20,000 people are employed in the food

and agri-industry sector, with over 50 companies engaged in food production and

or processing.  The region also accounts for almost 40% of the state’s hog production

.  The “Eastern” region, in addition to farming, hosts more than 160 food-related

manufacturing facilities.  The “Northeast” region has the largest average farm size

in the state.  Seven “Northeast” counties are among the top 10 in NC in the production

of cotton and/or grains and oilseeds.  Additionally, timber generates nearly $250 million

in the “Northeast” region’s economy.

 

9. Tourism is also an essential aspect of Eastern NC’s economy.  Travel and tourism

generates $22.2 billion a year in total economic demand in NC, and the coast generates

a lot of tourist activity.  “Overnight visitors” to NC rated visiting the beach as the 4^th highest

rated activity, behind seeing family, friends, and shopping.  In 2008, more than 22% of NC

visitors traveled to the coastal region, approximately 8.4 million person-trips.

 

10. Another major economic engine in the Eastern part of the state is military installations

.  North Carolina’s Eastern region is the country’s third largest concentration of defense

forces.  It is home to 6 of the nation’s military bases, including two of the largest, Camp

Lejeune and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.  It is also home to many major defense

contractors.

 

SOURCES

 

1. The Employment Security Commission of North Carolina, “Workforce Information,” http://www.ncesc1.com/lmi/workForceStats/workForceMain.asp.  NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “Economic Tiers,”http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=

article&id=399&Itemid=154.

2. NC Office of State Budget and Management, “2009 Provisional County Population Estimates,” http://www.osbm.state.nc.us/ncosbm/facts_and_figures/socioeconomic_data/population_estimates

/demog/countygrowth _prov_2009.html.

3. NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “Rural County Map,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=155. 

See also: “Rural Data Bank,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=

wrapper&Itemid=150.

4. Public Schools of North Carolina: Department of Public Instruction, “Annual Dropout Reports:

2008-2009,” p. 104. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/research/dropout/reports/. “NC Graduation Rate

Ranks Low: 46^th in the Nation,” http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/top-stories/96853464.html.

5. LINC: Log Into North Carolina, http://linc.state.nc.us/.

6. NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “North Carolina Agriculture: Regional Perspectives,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=152.

7. NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, “Agricultural Statistics-Cash Receipts:

2008 Top Ten Counties in Farm Cash Receipts, North Carolinahttp://www.agr.state.nc.us/stats/economic/cashreceipts/topten.htm.

8. NC Rural Economic Development Center, Inc., “North Carolina Agriculture:

Regional Perspectives,” http://www.ncruralcenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=

article&id=72&Itemid=152.

9. NC Department of Commerce: Division of Tourism, Tourism Research Data, http://www.nccommerce.com/en/TourismServices/PromoteTravelAndTourismIndustry/

TourismResearch/ResearchData.htm. “What Does Tourism Mean to North Carolina’s Economy?”

“Fast Facts: 2009 North Carolina Visitor & Trip Profile.” “2008 North Carolina Regional Travel

Summary – Coastal Region.”

10. North Carolina’s Eastern Region, nceast.org.