What Are North Carolina’s Major Industries?

According to the North Carolina state government, the major industries in North Carolina include advanced manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, automotive, agriculture, bio pharmaceuticals, energy, defense, banking, information technology and textiles. The major products produced in North Carolina include livestock, crops, tobacco, chemicals, computers, electronics and granite.

The largest industry in North Carolina is agriculture business, which involves producing and caring for crops such as tobacco, cotton and sweet potatoes, as well as livestock such as hogs, cattle and poultry. North Carolina is the leading producer of tobacco and sweet potatoes in the country. Its agriculture industry also includes nursery and greenhouse crop production and aquaculture that produces primarily trout and catfish.

Defense is North Carolina’s second-largest industry, and it includes primarily aviation and aerospace defense. The state is also home to one of the major military bases in the country, Fort Bragg. Finance is the third-largest economic sector in the state, and many of the major national banks have made North Carolina their home base. The biotech, pharmaceutical and life sciences industry in North Carolina is the third-largest in the country, and some of the largest international pharmaceutical companies call North Carolina home. The textile industry in North Carolina was one of its strongest industries before a major national decline in textile manufacturing occurred, but as of 2014, this industry is growing again in the state.