North Carolina is located in the southern region of the United States on the Atlantic Seaboard. It was admitted into statehood on November 21, 1789. The capital city is Raleigh while the largest and most populated city is Charlotte. North Carolina is home to 9,380,884 (2009 est.).*
The gross state product as of 2008 was estimated to be at $404 billion.** Livestock and crops are of equal importance to the agricultural income in North Carolina .The chief livestock produced in the state are hogs, turkeys, and broilers, milk, eggs, ducks and beef cattle. Agricultural products include tobacco, cotton, corn, soybeans, peanuts, sweet potato, blueberries, strawberries, peaches, hay and wheat. The textile industry was once a principal sector in the state’s economy. However, due to the rising trend in outsourcing to Asia and Latin America over the last three decades, the state has experienced significant job loss. Today, North Carolina is the leading manufacturer of tobacco products, while other industrial outputs are chemicals, communication equipment, computer components, and electronic products. Biotechnology, banking, and finance have all been progressing rapidly and steadily in North Carolina. The establishment of the Research Triangle Park has drawn over 100 research companies to set up headquarters there. Tourism in North Carolina has also seen growth, and in 2008 became the sixth most visited state in the United States.***
The unemployment rate for North Carolina was estimated to be at 9.7% as of August 2010.****
| Unemployment Agency | Website | Phone Number | State |
| Employment Security Commission | North Carolina Website | 919-707-1290 | North Carolina Unemployment Benefits |
Below is a list of the 50 largest employers in North Carolina:*****
| Employer | City |
| BASICLEIGH MARKETING | Greensboro |
| MERRILL LYNCH & CO INC | Charlotte |
| NORTEL NETWORKS | Research Triangle Park |
| WAKE FOREST UNIV BAPT MED CTR | Winston Salem |
| MOSES H CONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Greensboro |
| MISSION HOSPITAL | Asheville |
| MISSION HOSPITAL | Asheville |
| BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SVC | Winston Salem |
| SMITHFIELD PACKING CO | Tar Heel |
| PITT COUNTY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Greenville |
| WAKE FOREST UN BAPTIST MED CTR | Winston Salem |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP | Charlotte |
| EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY | Greenville |
| INTERNATIONAL PAPER CO | Charlotte |
| MID SOUTH METAL BUYERS | Charlotte |
| UNC HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS | Chapel Hill |
| DUKE ENERGY CORP | Charlotte |
| WAKEMED OUTPATIENT REHAB | Raleigh |
| CISCO SYSTEMS | Research Triangle Park |
| GLAXOSMITHKLINE | Research Triangle Park |
| NEW HANOVER REGIONAL MED CTR | Wilmington |
| ALL PRO MOVERS | Carolina Beach |
| AVENIR TECHNOLOGIES INC | Morrisville |
| CAPE FEAR VALLEY MEDICAL CTR | Fayetteville |
| REX HOSPITAL | Raleigh |
| US AIR FORCE POPE AFB | Pope Afb |
| KLAUSSNER HOME FURNISHINGS | Asheboro |
| SAS INSTITUTE INC | Cary |
| WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM | Concord |
| BLOWING ROCK FRAMEWORKS | Blowing Rock |
| CAROLINAS MEDICAL CTR-NE | Concord |
| KELLY SPRINGFIELD TIRE CO | Fayetteville |
| PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF REBESON CNTY | Lumberton |
| SCHNEIDER NATIONAL INC | Charlotte |
| UNC SCHOOL OF MEDICINE | Chapel Hill |
| VERIZON WIRELESS | Cary |
| GASTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | Gastonia |
| HANESBRANDS INC | Winston Salem |
| LOWE’S CO INC | Mooresville |
| MOORE REGIONAL HOSPITAL | Pinehurst |
| PHILIP MORRIS USA | Concord |
| PROGRESS ENERGY INC | Raleigh |
| WEST POINT HOME | Wagram |
| WILSON ENERGY | Wilson |
| BUTTERBALL LLC | Mount Olive |
| FREIGHTLINER | Cleveland |
| RTI INTERNATIONAL | Research Triangle Park |
| HALDEX HYDRAULICS CORP | Statesville |
| CONTINENTAL TIRE NORTH AMERICA | Charlotte |
| UNIVERSITY OF NC-WILMINGTON | Wilmington |
Sources:
* http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/37000.html
** http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/action.cfm
*** http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2009/05/11/daily27.html?ana=from_rss
**** http://data.bls.gov:8080/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet;jsessionid=6230c90894ba7d4e97e1
***** http://www.acinet.org/acinet/oview6.asp?soccode=&stfips=37&from=State&id=11&nodeid=12