North Carolina’s Green Industry: A Driving Force
North Carolina’s green industry is a vital and rapidly growing sector of the state’s agriculture, significantly contributing to both the economy and the state’s appeal. This diverse industry encompasses a wide range of businesses, including wholesale nurseries and greenhouses, Christmas tree production, turfgrass management, and landscape design, among others.
A recent economic impact study found that the green industry directly contributes substantially to North Carolina’s economy, generating $9.5 billion and supporting 65,745 jobs with $3.3 billion in direct labor income. The industry’s total annual economic contribution is approximately $15.8 billion.
Evaluating the green industry by changes over time, clear positive trends emerge. The economic impact of the green industry in North Carolina has been trending upward since 2005. In 2023, the North Carolina green industry was directly responsible for $9.5 billion of economic output, with total economic output attributable to the industry at $15.8 billion. The industry’s direct value added was $5.5 billion, with total value added at $9.1 billion. All four metrics suggest that the impact of the industry has increased by over 50 percent since 2005, even after accounting for inflation. While there was a dip in 2010 due to the 2008 economic downturn and a drop in employment in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry fully recovered by 2015 and has surged substantially in the last couple of years.
We invite you to join the NCGIC in supporting our research and advocating for the green industry of North Carolina.
Join Today! 919.341.9147 or northcarolinagic@gmail.com