Economy

Today, banking and research and development activities are among the numerous major economic enterprises in North Carolina. The state's leading manufactured products are chemicals and tobacco products.

Finance, insurance, and real estate ranks first among North Carolina's service industry groups. Charlotte is one of the country's major financial centers. The community, business, and personal services group ranks as the state's leading employer. Duke University in Durham is a leading center of research for medicine and other fields. Enterprises devoted to industrial research and development are found in Research Triangle Park, in the Raleigh-Durham area.

North Carolina is one of the nation's top producers of tobacco products, textiles, and furniture. The manufacturing of processed foods and beverages is also important.

The Piedmont Plateau is the most industrialized part of the state. Among the main manufacturing centers are the Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point area, and Charlotte, Gastonia, Raleigh, and Durham.

The raising of livestock and poultry accounts for the majority of the state's farm income. Broilers and hogs bring in the most income. North Carolina is a leading producer of turkeys. Also important are dairy products and cattle and calves. Livestock is raised in almost all parts of the state.

North Carolina is the nation's largest grower of tobacco, which is the state's single most valuable crop. It is grown in many parts of the state. Other valuable crops are cotton, soybeans, corn, and peanuts. Sweet potatoes and various fruits—including apples, peaches, and blueberries—are also grown. The coastal plain is the chief crop-growing region.

Crushed stone, mainly granite, is a leading mined product in North Carolina. Large amounts of feldspar, lithium, mica, and olivine are also mined in the state. Other minerals produced in significant quantities are phosphate rock and sand and gravel.

Many of the forests in North Carolina are of commercial value. Southern pines, such as loblolly, are the chief commercial trees but some hardwoods are also harvested.

North Carolina's fish catch is substantial. The most valuable catch is shellfish, primarily shrimp, crabs, and clams. Flounder are among the other fish caught commercially. Beaufort is the chief fishing port.

A great number of highways, including Interstate routes, cross the state. The Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic drive administered by the National Park Service, runs through the western mountains. Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Asheville are major hubs of the highway system. Main railway routes are on the coastal plain and generally run northeast to southwest. Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway follows North Carolina's coast. Wilmington and Morehead City are deepwater ports. North Carolina has international airports at Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Greensboro.