The word is in. Forbes Magazine has added a new category to its magazine, and North Carolina has made the list. Coming in at No. 2 on the “Best States for Business” list, North Carolina has seen successes despite losses from House Bill 2.
In case you aren’t familiar with it, House Bill 2 is a set of laws passed that essentially allows workplace discrimination. It has been deemed as the “bathroom bill” stemming from the bill’s language that allows for discrimination based on sexual and/or gender identity.
Nonetheless, North Carolina has still seen successes in all aspects of business, and sits only behind Utah for the second straight year on the “Best States” list.
This should be seen as impressive, considering HB2 has cost North Carolina an estimated $630 million in economic activity, according to Forbes spokespersons. The NBA, ACC and NCAA all decided to pull out of the state when Governor Pat McCrory refused to budge on his stance with no chance of repealing the bill.
However, this could all change soon if Roy Cooper is indeed elected as governor, where he is apparently leading McCrory by 5,000 votes in an official recount.
Forbes bases its ranking based on these factors:
- Business costs
- Labor supply
- Regulatory environment
- Economic climate
- Growth prospects
- Quality of life
This recent ranking proves that North Carolina is fostering a pro-growth economy with an excelling business climate that’s appealing to outside job seekers. Since 2013, North Carolina has added more than 300,000 jobs, and is the only state to have appeared in the top five of the “Best States” study every year for 11 years straight.
Despite HB2, foreign investments from North Carolina’s high-tech job growth can be attributed to success. In 2015, 5,300 jobs were generated from FDI alone.
If this is any indication that North Carolina is the place to live, it’s proof that the state continues to see advancements every year.
Looking for a house in North Carolina? Let me help you with that. To search for a new home in North Carolina, try our Home Finder.
By Rob Williams