North Carolina Population, Economy, Jobs & Key Trends | Data Lab

Region: North Carolina
Coverage: 1540 - 2025
Report ID: RH-94C5FB46EDCE3EAA
URL: https://greenblog.co.kr/en/data-report/north-carolina-population-economy-jobs-key-trends-data-lab-2/

=== Full report ===
North Carolina’s long-run change extends well beyond metropolitan growth. Energy production and consumption follow different paths, while population expands steadily and income, housing, and unemployment turn at different points. Charlotte and the Research Triangle form major growth corridors, but Wilmington, the Outer Banks, and the western mountains operate under very different economic and environmental conditions. Energy production expanded over the long run while consumption moved more unevenly Primary energy production rises substantially over the long run, although the path includes several pullbacks. The recent period also combines a high point, a decline, and a partial recovery. Total energy consumption also ends above its early level, but its path is more cyclical. After reaching a long-run high, the series moves through repeated drops and recoveries. Production and consumption describe different parts of the energy system and should not be collapsed into a single balance measure. Population kept growing before household and labor conditions fully improved Population rises through most of the observed period, with only a brief dip before growth resumes. Median household income is flatter early on and then establishes a clearer upward path, while unemployment turns downward after an early high. The timing matters because population growth does not automatically mean household finances or labor conditions improve at the same moment. Charlotte and the Triangle are major metropolitan growth engines, but statewide measures also combine the coast, mountains, and rural areas. Home values became the fastest-moving household measure later in the period Median home value is nearly flat at first, then begins a sustained rise and accelerates much more strongly later in the period. Higher home values can increase owner equity while also raising the entry price for prospective buyers. Income and home value therefore answer different questions and should not be collapsed into a single affordability story. Charlotte, the Triangle, Wilmington, the coast and mountains play different roles Charlotte combines corporate, financial, and aviation functions, while the Research Triangle connects universities, research institutions, and private industry around Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Wilmington adds a maritime gateway that links inland production and distribution with Atlantic shipping. Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks sit in a dynamic barrier-island environment, while the mountain west has different tourism, road-access, and disaster-recovery conditions. A statewide average is useful for direction but cannot represent all of those local systems. The historical frame now runs from early contact to modern recovery The de Soto expedition adds an early chapter before the Roanoke story. Later milestones such as the Halifax Resolves, the founding of UNC, the Wright brothers’ flight, Research Triangle Park, and the Greensboro sit-ins mark political, educational, technological, industrial, and civil-rights change. Hurricane Helene caused severe damage in western North Carolina, and the later reopening of the major interstate corridor through Pigeon River Gorge marked a further step in restoring a critical transport link. These events add regional context without serving as stand-alone explanations for statewide economic measures. Sources US_EIA · Total primary energy productionUS_EIA · Total energy consumptionUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · PopulationUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Median household incomeUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Median home valueUS_CENSUS_DATA_API · Unemployment rate FAQ Did North Carolina’s energy production and consumption move in the same direction? Both finish above their early levels, but the timing and size of their changes differ. Production shows a clearer long-run rise, while consumption fluctuates more after its high. Do higher home values mean housing conditions improved? Not necessarily. Higher values can strengthen owner equity while increasing the entry price for buyers. Income, rents, mortgage rates, and housing-cost burdens are also important. Does Hurricane Helene explain North Carolina’s recent statewide measures? No single-event conclusion is supported. Helene was a major western North Carolina disaster, but statewide annual and multi-year measures should not be attributed to that event alone. North Carolina combines population growth, a larger long-run energy-production base, rising household income, faster housing appreciation, and lower unemployment, but these changes unfold on different schedules. Charlotte, the Triangle, Wilmington, the coast, and the mountains show why the state is better understood as several connected regional systems rather than one uniform growth story.

=== Metrics ===
Total primary energy production	1985	313008	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1986	310992	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1987	397790	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1988	404323	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1989	427700	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1990	395183	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1991	413986	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1992	357978	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1993	372475	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1994	475232	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1995	507926	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1996	484276	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1997	467120	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1998	527515	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	1999	506747	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2000	522985	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2001	503867	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2002	515398	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2003	559542	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2004	521965	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2005	526976	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2006	528801	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2007	513836	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2008	539210	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2009	543186	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2010	553898	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2011	556201	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2012	542015	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2013	568039	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2014	568465	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2015	573484	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2016	600195	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2017	602974	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2018	611900	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2019	612292	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2020	629976	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2021	632293	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2022	634812	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2023	619155	Billion Btu
Total primary energy production	2024	627290	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1985	1733345	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1986	1810587	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1987	1904817	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1988	1991109	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1989	1997506	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1990	2009568	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1991	2005519	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1992	2100066	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1993	2194539	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1994	2189090	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1995	2318862	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1996	2400141	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1997	2384048	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1998	2433538	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	1999	2462256	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2000	2587711	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2001	2529858	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2002	2545210	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2003	2542759	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2004	2626745	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2005	2661860	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2006	2619752	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2007	2661571	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2008	2671034	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2009	2513686	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2010	2716056	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2011	2587972	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2012	2498580	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2013	2502464	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2014	2556575	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2015	2547597	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2016	2560409	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2017	2506475	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2018	2594470	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2019	2565392	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2020	2362733	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2021	2519017	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2022	2581430	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2023	2472116	Billion Btu
Total energy consumption	2024	2570343	Billion Btu
Population	2011	9418736	persons
Population	2012	9544249	persons
Population	2013	9651380	persons
Population	2014	9750405	persons
Population	2015	9845333	persons
Population	2016	9940828	persons
Population	2017	10052564	persons
Population	2018	10155624	persons
Population	2019	10264876	persons
Population	2020	10386227	persons
Population	2021	10367022	persons
Population	2022	10470214	persons
Population	2023	10584340	persons
Population	2024	10730404	persons
Median household income	2011	46291	US dollars
Median household income	2012	46450	US dollars
Median household income	2013	46334	US dollars
Median household income	2014	46693	US dollars
Median household income	2015	46868	US dollars
Median household income	2016	48256	US dollars
Median household income	2017	50320	US dollars
Median household income	2018	52413	US dollars
Median household income	2019	54602	US dollars
Median household income	2020	56642	US dollars
Median household income	2021	60516	US dollars
Median household income	2022	66186	US dollars
Median household income	2023	69904	US dollars
Median household income	2024	72388	US dollars
Median home value	2011	152700	US dollars
Median home value	2012	153600	US dollars
Median home value	2013	153600	US dollars
Median home value	2014	153600	US dollars
Median home value	2015	154900	US dollars
Median home value	2016	157100	US dollars
Median home value	2017	161000	US dollars
Median home value	2018	165900	US dollars
Median home value	2019	172500	US dollars
Median home value	2020	182100	US dollars
Median home value	2021	197500	US dollars
Median home value	2022	234900	US dollars
Median home value	2023	259400	US dollars
Median home value	2024	288900	US dollars
Unemployment rate	2011	9.7020218878901	percent
Unemployment rate	2012	10.489503413486	percent
Unemployment rate	2013	11.074861934312	percent
Unemployment rate	2014	10.549347659824	percent
Unemployment rate	2015	9.3949827534871	percent
Unemployment rate	2016	8.3155205072216	percent
Unemployment rate	2017	7.1554952799003	percent
Unemployment rate	2018	6.279286329511	percent
Unemployment rate	2019	5.5761603605921	percent
Unemployment rate	2020	5.4446678954844	percent
Unemployment rate	2021	5.3449458989018	percent
Unemployment rate	2022	5.075744756955	percent
Unemployment rate	2023	4.8294744855325	percent
Unemployment rate	2024	4.7200949321727	percent

=== Timeline ===
1540 1540
  - The de Soto expedition crosses present-day North Carolina — Hernando de Soto’s Spanish expedition moved through present-day North Carolina as it crossed the interior Southeast.
1587 1587
  - The Roanoke colony enters history as the Lost Colony — The English settlement attempt on Roanoke Island later became known for the unexplained disappearance of its colonists, leaving one of the enduring mysteries of early colonial history.
1776 1776
  - North Carolina adopts the Halifax Resolves — Delegates meeting at Halifax adopted the Halifax Resolves, an early official colonial action supporting independence from Great Britain.
1789 1789
  - UNC is chartered — North Carolina chartered the University of North Carolina, creating an early institutional foundation for public higher education in the state.
1903 1903
  - The Wright brothers achieve powered flight at Kill Devil Hills — The Wright brothers achieved controlled powered flight at Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks.
1934 1934
  - Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established — A large mountain landscape spanning North Carolina and Tennessee entered the National Park system, preserving both natural and cultural resources.
1959 1959
  - Research Triangle Park is founded — Research Triangle Park was founded as a long-term effort to connect universities, industry, and public research while broadening the state’s economic base.
1960 1960
  - The Greensboro sit-ins begin — Four North Carolina A&T students began a nonviolent sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro.
1986 1986
  - Total primary energy production: 310992 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1810587 Billion Btu
1987 1987
  - Total primary energy production: 397790 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1904817 Billion Btu
1988 1988
  - Total primary energy production: 404323 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1991109 Billion Btu
1989 1989
  - Total primary energy production: 427700 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 1997506 Billion Btu
1990 1990
  - Total primary energy production: 395183 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2009568 Billion Btu
1991 1991
  - Total primary energy production: 413986 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2005519 Billion Btu
1992 1992
  - Total primary energy production: 357978 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2100066 Billion Btu
1993 1993
  - Total primary energy production: 372475 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2194539 Billion Btu
1994 1994
  - Total primary energy production: 475232 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2189090 Billion Btu
1995 1995
  - Total primary energy production: 507926 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2318862 Billion Btu
1996 1996
  - Total primary energy production: 484276 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2400141 Billion Btu
1997 1997
  - Total primary energy production: 467120 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2384048 Billion Btu
1998 1998
  - Total primary energy production: 527515 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2433538 Billion Btu
1999 1999
  - Total primary energy production: 506747 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2462256 Billion Btu
2000 2000
  - Total primary energy production: 522985 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2587711 Billion Btu
2001 2001
  - Total primary energy production: 503867 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2529858 Billion Btu
2002 2002
  - Total primary energy production: 515398 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2545210 Billion Btu
2003 2003
  - Total primary energy production: 559542 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2542759 Billion Btu
2004 2004
  - Total primary energy production: 521965 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2626745 Billion Btu
2005 2005
  - Total primary energy production: 526976 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2661860 Billion Btu
2006 2006
  - Total primary energy production: 528801 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2619752 Billion Btu
2007 2007
  - Total primary energy production: 513836 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2661571 Billion Btu
2008 2008
  - Total primary energy production: 539210 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2671034 Billion Btu
2009 2009
  - Total primary energy production: 543186 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2513686 Billion Btu
2010 2010
  - Total primary energy production: 553898 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2716056 Billion Btu
2011 2011
  - Total primary energy production: 556201 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2587972 Billion Btu
2012 2012
  - Total primary energy production: 542015 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2498580 Billion Btu
  - Population: 9544249 persons
  - Median household income: 46450 US dollars
  - Median home value: 153600 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 10.489503413486 percent
2013 2013
  - Total primary energy production: 568039 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2502464 Billion Btu
  - Population: 9651380 persons
  - Median household income: 46334 US dollars
  - Median home value: 153600 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 11.074861934312 percent
2014 2014
  - Total primary energy production: 568465 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2556575 Billion Btu
  - Population: 9750405 persons
  - Median household income: 46693 US dollars
  - Median home value: 153600 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 10.549347659824 percent
2015 2015
  - Total primary energy production: 573484 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2547597 Billion Btu
  - Population: 9845333 persons
  - Median household income: 46868 US dollars
  - Median home value: 154900 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 9.3949827534871 percent
2016 2016
  - Total primary energy production: 600195 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2560409 Billion Btu
  - Population: 9940828 persons
  - Median household income: 48256 US dollars
  - Median home value: 157100 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 8.3155205072216 percent
2017 2017
  - Total primary energy production: 602974 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2506475 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10052564 persons
  - Median household income: 50320 US dollars
  - Median home value: 161000 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 7.1554952799003 percent
2018 2018
  - Total primary energy production: 611900 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2594470 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10155624 persons
  - Median household income: 52413 US dollars
  - Median home value: 165900 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 6.279286329511 percent
2019 2019
  - Total primary energy production: 612292 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2565392 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10264876 persons
  - Median household income: 54602 US dollars
  - Median home value: 172500 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.5761603605921 percent
2020 2020
  - Total primary energy production: 629976 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2362733 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10386227 persons
  - Median household income: 56642 US dollars
  - Median home value: 182100 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.4446678954844 percent
2021 2021
  - Total primary energy production: 632293 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2519017 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10367022 persons
  - Median household income: 60516 US dollars
  - Median home value: 197500 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.3449458989018 percent
2022 2022
  - Total primary energy production: 634812 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2581430 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10470214 persons
  - Median household income: 66186 US dollars
  - Median home value: 234900 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 5.075744756955 percent
2023 2023
  - Total primary energy production: 619155 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2472116 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10584340 persons
  - Median household income: 69904 US dollars
  - Median home value: 259400 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 4.8294744855325 percent
2024 2024
  - Total primary energy production: 627290 Billion Btu
  - Total energy consumption: 2570343 Billion Btu
  - Population: 10730404 persons
  - Median household income: 72388 US dollars
  - Median home value: 288900 US dollars
  - Unemployment rate: 4.7200949321727 percent
  - Helene devastates western North Carolina — Helene brought record flooding and widespread destruction to western North Carolina, leading to a prolonged emergency response and recovery effort.
2025 2025
  - I-40 reopens through the mountain corridor after Helene — A section of I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee reopened under a temporary traffic pattern after Hurricane Helene damage.
  - Interstate corridor through Pigeon River Gorge reopens after Helene — The major interstate section through Pigeon River Gorge between North Carolina and Tennessee reopened under a temporary traffic pattern after Hurricane Helene damage.

=== Regional places ===
- capital: Raleigh — Raleigh is North Carolina’s capital and a central Piedmont hub where state government, universities, and the wider Research Triangle economy overlap. Its role helps explain why statewide growth cannot be reduced to a single industrial corridor.
- Major city: Charlotte — Charlotte is the state’s largest city and a major center for finance, corporate activity, and transportation in the southwest. Together with the Triangle, it forms one of the main urban contexts for interpreting statewide population and housing demand.
- innovation: Research Triangle Park — Research Triangle Park anchors a research and industry corridor between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Its long-standing combination of universities, companies, and public research institutions is central to understanding North Carolina’s shift toward a more diversified knowledge economy.
- Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a long-standing anchor of public higher education and research. Its presence helps frame the Triangle as a place where education, research, and regional economic development have reinforced one another over time.
- Transport: Charlotte Douglas International Airport — Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a major air gateway for the Charlotte region and the broader state. It illustrates how western Piedmont growth is tied to national and international connectivity as well as local urban expansion.
- Port: Port of Wilmington — The Port of Wilmington is a major maritime logistics gateway on the Cape Fear River. It connects inland manufacturing and distribution networks with Atlantic trade, showing that coastal North Carolina has a strong freight and industrial function alongside tourism.
- Nature & parks: Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Great Smoky Mountains National Park represents the mountain landscapes and cultural history of western North Carolina. Cherokee history, settlement, conservation, and tourism converge here, making the western counties distinct from the state’s urban Piedmont and Atlantic coast.
- coast: Cape Hatteras National Seashore — Cape Hatteras National Seashore represents the barrier-island environment of the Outer Banks. Its constantly changing coastline, shaped by water, wind, and storms, highlights the environmental conditions that distinguish coastal settlement from inland North Carolina.

=== Sources ===
- US_EIA TEPRB https://api.eia.gov/v2/seds/data/
- US_EIA TETCB https://api.eia.gov/v2/seds/data/
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B01003_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B19013_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B25077_001E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
- US_CENSUS_DATA_API B23025_003E+B23025_005E https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs5
