economic growth

The Cape Fear Region is the fastest growing section in North Carolina. Census figures show Brunswick and Pender Counties at the top of the list. Pender County is 933 square miles stretching from the Atlantic coast inland towards Wallace, Atkinson and Ivanhoe. In Part One of our series on growth in the region, WHQR goes to Pender County.

North Carolina added more than 10,000 jobs in the tech sector last year alone.  That makes it seventh in the nation for job growth, according to a study by Computing Technology Industry Association, a nonprofit advocacy group.

2016 will bring stable but moderate growth to North Carolina and the Cape Fear region. That’s the prediction from the 24th Annual Economic Forecast, sponsored by McGladrey, the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, and Wilmington Business Development.

Home prices and household spending are on the rise, indicating consumer confidence.  But the economic recovery hasn’t quite reached the business sector yet.  Here’s Rick Kaglic of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond:

At UNCW’s annual OUTLOOK conference, economists forecasted the regional economy would grow slightly faster than the national average over the next year.  WHQR’s Isabelle Shepherd says UNCW’s Dr. Adam Jones compared the local economy to a car being driven with both feet – one on the gas, and one on the brake. 

Economic growth strategy is dominating conversations from neighborhood associations to cities and counties -- to the state and federal levels.  New Hanover County Commissioners recently paid for an analysis on the best ways to grow the area’s economy.