(The Center Square) – Eighteen North Carolina counties have economic designation changes in 2025, which could make a difference in the grants they receive from the state for economic development.
Cherokee, Chowan, Duplin, Gates, Granville, Haywood, Jones, Onslow and Pasquotank counties are moving to a “less distressed” tier of counties, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Alexander, Caldwell, Camden, Cleveland, Davie, McDowell, Montgomery, Randolph and Surry counties will move to a “more distressed” tier.
The states uses four economic factors to analyze and rank each county: unemployment rate, median household income, population growth, and assessed property value per capita.
The tier rankings are then used to make decisions on several grant programs.
The most economically distressed counties are in Tier 1, with Tier 3 the least distressed.
State law requires 40 counties to be designated as Tier 1, 40 counties to be designated as Tier 2, and 20 counties to be designated Tier 3.
“The Department of Commerce uses every tool available to help build public infrastructure and create jobs across the state, and the County Tiers system is one data tool some of our programs use,” Department of Commerce spokesman David Rhoades told The Center Square.
One program that uses the tier system is the Job Development Investment Grant program. This is the fiscal arm awarding grants to companies based on the number of jobs that will be created by a new project.
In 2019, AmeriQual Aseptic, a food processing company, announced a $23.8 million expansion in Montgomery County. The company was awarded a $500,000 state grant as part of the project. The grant required a match by the county government.
“Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment,” the state said at the time, in a release.
