(The Center Square) – Edgecombe is the most distressed and Currituck the least in new tier designations for North Carolina’s 100 counties, the Department of Commerce says.
The three-level designation system is based on four factors using a 1-100 scale: average unemployment rate, median household income, percentage growth in population, and adjusted property tax base per capita.
Counties are ranked from 1-100, from most to least distressed, then arranged in tiers based on state law that requires the 40 lowest scores to be designated tier one, the middle 40 tier two, and the bottom 20 tier three.
The tiers determine a variety of state funding opportunities for economic development, such as eligibility for grant funding from the One North Carolina Fund, as well as building reuse, and water and sewer infrastructure grants. The tiers also factor into the state’s Job Development Investment Grant program, which channels funds to the Industrial Development Fund Utility Account for infrastructure improvements for economically distressed areas.
Eight counties changed tier designations. Burke, Surry and Randolph counties County went from tier one to tier two due to improved household income; Burke also had population growth. Lower unemployment lifted Davie County from tier two to tier three.
Avery County slid from tier three to tier two due to its population growth score, while unemployment was the factor behind both Beaufort and Gates counties going from tier two to tier one. Pasquotank County’s shift from tier two to tier one stemmed from its household income rank.
Edgecombe County came out as the most distressed in the state, followed by Scotland County, and (tied) Robeson, Hertford, and Halifax counties. Currituck County was ranked the least distressed, followed by a tie between Chatham and Wake counties; next were Union and Lincoln counties.
Dare County had the highest adjusted property tax base per capita at $446,844. Brunswick County led population growth with 14.15%. Wake County had the highest median household income at $91,558, and Buncombe County had the lowest unemployment rate of 2.75%.
Robeson County ranked last for property tax with a $68,212 tax base per capita, and last for median household income ($38,613). Hyde County’s negative 6.49% population growth was the lowest. Scotland County’s 6.3% unemployment rate was the highest.
Counties that ranked below the state average on the four factors are eligible to request assistance from the Department of Commerce to improve their performance. The North Carolina average property tax base per capita was $136,274, while the state average for population growth was 3.2%. Average statewide household income stood at $61,997, and the state average unemployment rate was 3.48%.
