North Carolina has the strongest workforce development in the country, according to a new ranking by Site Selection Magazine, reinforcing the broader advantages that make the Charlotte Region competitive in workforce talent.
The 2025 Workforce Development Rankings place North Carolina in the top spot, surpassing competitor markets across the country.
“If you’re ready to graduate your company’s operations to the next level on a foundation of skills and talent, North Carolina is a good place to enroll,” Site Selection writes.
The rankings are created using data from ACT, Lumina Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), SkillsUSA, and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Site Selection refreshed the rankings, honing in on skills and credentials that have ROI and value, including BLS workforce productivity measures.
“Site Selection’s revised ranking system underscores what we know to be true: States thrive when their people have the skills and credentials that drive economic growth,” says Lumina Foundation’s Data and Measurement Strategy Director Chris Mullin.
In a statement, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein touted North Carolina’s education system and partnerships.
“North Carolina’s strength is our people,” Stein said. “Our excellent public schools, community colleges and universities produce hundreds of thousands of talented graduates each year.” Noting that collaboration among businesses, educational institutions and governments was key to 2025 being the state’s best year of job announcements ever, he says, “We will continue to invest in our people and expand pathways that prepare more people for the career opportunities being built here. With strategic leadership from my Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, North Carolina will not be outworked when it comes to workforce development.”
“North Carolina’s talented people give us our competitive edge, and our workforce system is increasingly aligned with economic development to meet the needs of growing, innovative businesses,” says N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, who is also a co-chair of the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships.
“This workforce development ranking reflects the strength of North Carolina’s educational continuum, starting with our public schools,” said North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Maurice “Mo” Green. “Recently, our public schools have produced a historic high in graduation rates, record-breaking levels of students earning college credits while in high school, and incredible success with Career and Technical Education (CTE) participation and performance. By implementing our new strategic plan, we can build on what works and have the best public schools in the nation by 2030.”
Read about the strides North Carolina is making in workforce development in Site Selection Magazine.
