With its long history as a headquarters city for the banking industry and its deep talent pool of financial experts, it’s easy to see why Charlotte, the state’s largest city, boasts the third-largest banking center in the U.S.
Meet some of the business and financial service companies thriving in North Carolina:
For a top-ranked business climate you can bank on, look no further than North Carolina.
Our low tax burdens and highly educated workforce attract both domestic and foreign investment. But those are just a couple of reasons business and financial institutions flock to North Carolina. Here are some of the many others:
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- The lowest corporate income tax rate in the U.S.
- 2.5% corporate tax rate
- NC is ranked No. 1 for lowest state and local tax burden in the United States by Ernst & Young and the Council on State Taxation
- Top-tier universities and business schools
- NC is home to three U.S. News-ranked top-100 business schools:
- Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (No.10)
- University of Notch Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School (No. 19)
- North Carolina State University (No. 85)
- Noted programs also at Appalachian State University, North Carolina A&T, and Wake Forest
- NC is home to three U.S. News-ranked top-100 business schools:
- Four international airports
- Offer a combined 1,000+ domestic and international flights daily
- Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) is the sixth-busiest hub in the U.S.
- Other international airports in NC include:
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- Wilmington International Airport (ILM)
- Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)
- Unparalleled quality of life
- NC boasts a cost of living that’s lower than the national average, access to affordable, high quality healthcare
- Easy access to pristine beaches, majestic mountains and everything in between
- Hundreds of award-winning venues, restaurants and museums
- Raleigh, the state capital, tops Forbes’ list of Best Cities to Raise a Family
- A highly educated workforce
- 380,000+ students are working on degrees at 41 colleges and universities across the state
- NC college graduates earned 50,000+ bachelor’s degrees, 17,000+ master’s degrees and 4,300+ doctoral degrees in 2013 alone
- Some of the nation’s most-educated populations
- One of the most educated workforces in the U.S.
- Raleigh and Durham rank No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, as the Most Educated Cities in America
- Customized training programs
- NCWorks, the state’s comprehensive workforce development platform, offers customizable training for new and existing businesses in the state
- Association of International Certified Public Accountants
- Headquartered in Durham, the AICPA is the largest member organization representing, shaping and advocating for the CPA profession
- Includes more than 400,000 members
- Key business operations include: member service, specialized member communities, finance, conferences, publications, legal and HR
- North Carolina Treasury Management Association
- NCTMA is a regional affiliate of the Association for Financial Professionals
- It’s a non-profit organization that supports treasury professionals
- Provides a forum for members to meet to exchange ideas and information as well as host local, regional and national speakers
- Eastern Finance Association—Financial Review
- Journal of the Eastern Finance Association is hosted by N.C. State University through the Poole College od Management
- Publishes original research (empirical, theoretical and methodological) and provides insights into important issues across all areas of financial economics
- North Carolina Association of CPAs
- NCACPA is a membership organization for CPAs in NC
- Offers 500+ events annually, scholarships and other monetary contributions to existing and future accounting professionals
- Actively engages with members in a variety of industry-related service activities
If you have an economic development project and you'd like assistance, contact a state economic developer using the webform below.