{"id":96155,"date":"2026-02-20T18:56:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/894185967"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:56:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:56:44","slug":"4-nc-cities-in-top-20-southern-tech-hubs-raleigh-no-3a-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/20\/4-nc-cities-in-top-20-southern-tech-hubs-raleigh-no-3a-a\/","title":{"rendered":"4 NC cities in top 20 Southern tech hubs, Raleigh No. 3\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte rank in the top 10 for best Southern metro cities<\/a> for tech workers.  <\/p>\n

The tech industry is growing, and the South leads the dispersal of tech talent and companies beyond traditional hubs.  <\/p>\n

The ranking, from CommercialCafe, is based on tech company density, establishment growth, job density, and job growth \u2014 among other metrics. Rankings of Southern metro cities are below the Mason-Dixon Line and have populations above 200,000. <\/p>\n

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Raleigh places No. 3 after Austin, Texas and Washington, DC, with a noticeable increase in tech company growth and employment density. Durham places No. 7 after Atlanta, Georgia; and Charlotte ranks No. 9 after Baltimore, Maryland. While DC and Baltimore are below the Mason-Dixon Line, they are often categorized geographically and culturally as more Mid-Atlantic. If these two were not included, Raleigh would have placed second, Durham sixth, and Charlotte seventh. <\/p>\n

North Carolina is positioned as a leading tech hub due to a unique combination of skilled workforce and a favorable business environment. Strong research universities, affordable living, diverse talent, and a competitive cost of doing business are strong motivators for tech companies and startups.  <\/p>\n

High-quality higher education creates an environment that is appealing to tech companies. The Raleigh-Durham region ranks among the top 10 markets in North Carolina for educational attainment, with 51% of adults aged 25 and older holding a bachelors degree of higher, according to Wake County Economic Development.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The UNC System\u2019s research universities, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and North Carolina State University funnel a pipeline of highly skilled graduates into the tech industry, with the highest concentration of Tier 1 research universities in the US<\/a>. More than 55% of software engineers<\/a> in Raleigh-Durham are employed in the tech industry.  <\/p>\n

North Carolina\u2019s low corporate income tax also boosts its competitive advantage. With a 2.25% corporate tax rate<\/a>, the state is ranked No. 1 lowest state and local tax burden in the United States according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.<\/a> <\/p>\n

North Carolina is also home to Research Triangle Park<\/a>, which is the largest research park in the US spanning over 7,000 acres and housing over 300 companies.   <\/p>\n

NC Chamber president and CEO Gary Salamido told CJ that intentional policy in the state is part of what makes development so appealing.  <\/p>\n

\u201cNorth Carolina\u2019s rise as a top state for business \u2014 across technology and many other industries \u2014 didn\u2019t happen by accident,\u201d said Salamido. \u201cIt\u2019s the result of decades of intentional policy advancements that have strengthened the state\u2019s workforce, infrastructure, and competitive business climate. Communities across North Carolina are increasingly standing out as top destinations for companies, talent, and investment.\u201d <\/p>\n

Senior vice president of Research at the John Locke Foundation Brian Balfour told CJ the ranking comes as no surprise.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe ranking reflects the pro-growth policies that North Carolina has implemented over the past dozen years,\u201d said Balfour. \u201cOur state has been ranked the best state for business three of the last four years, so this high ranking with regard to urban tech growth comes as no surprise. A falling tax burden combined with limited regulations makes North Carolina \u2014 and its population hubs \u2014 an attractive destination for investment and job creation.\u201d <\/p>\n

No. 7, Durham-Chapel Hill, reported the highest quality of life score with the second-highest share of bachelor\u2019s degrees after Washington, DC. What makes the city attractive? A low cost of living and low rates of unemployment.  <\/p>\n

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54.67%<\/a> of residents in Durham hold at least a bachelor\u2019s degree \u2014 a greater percentage than Raleigh at 52.5%<\/a> and Austin at 52.3%.<\/a> Unemployment in Durham is 3.1%, well below<\/a> the national average.  <\/p>\n

Last year, Democrat Governor Josh Stein proclaimed February \u201cCareer and Technical Education Month.\u201d<\/a>  <\/p>\n

\u201cWe intend to make North Carolina the #1 state for apprenticeships in the nation. Investing in career and technical education is key to creating an economy in North Carolina that works for everyone,\u201d said Stein in a statement<\/a>. \u201cAlongside our community colleges and corporate partners, we can shape the workforce of the future right here in North Carolina.\u201d  <\/p>\n

Wilmington, NC, was also ranked in the top 20 best cities at No. 15, as the startup scene<\/a> evolves.  <\/p>\n

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… metro cities for tech<\/span> workers.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 The tech<\/span> industry is growing, … CommercialCafe, is based on tech<\/span> company density, establishment growth, … skilled graduates into the tech<\/span> industry, with the … state for business \u00e2\u0080\u0094 across technology<\/span> and many other industries \u00e2\u0080\u0094 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}