The North Carolina Department of Commerce has released the 2018 Tier designations, with Tier 1 being most economically distressed to Tier 3 being least economically distressed. Macon County has been designated as a Tier 1 county for the fourth year in a row after being in Tier 2 in 2014 and years previous. A press release and additional information culled from the NC Commerce website are posted below.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce annually ranks the state’s 100 counties based on economic well-being and assigns each a Tier designation. The 40 most distressed counties are designated as Tier 1, the next 40 as Tier 2 and the 20 least distressed as Tier 3. This Tier system is incorporated into various state programs to encourage economic activity in the less prosperous areas of the state.
2018 County Tier Designations were published November 29, 2017
County Tiers are calculated using four factors:
•Average unemployment rate
•Median household income
•Percentage growth in population
•Adjusted property tax base per capita
The law governing County Tier status also further specifies automatic qualifying criteria for Tier One and Tier Two status: Tier One Automatic Qualifiers include:
•A county must be Tier 1 for at least two consecutive years
•A county with less than 12,000 people
•A county with a population less than 50,000 people AND a poverty rate of 19 percent or greater
Tier Two Automatic Qualifier:
•A county with a population less than 50,000 people
See the full list of tiers by county by downloading this PDF. [LINK]
Here is some information culled from the above-mentioned document and other locations on the NC Commerce website, with lower number rank indicating more economic distress (1 being most distressed and 100 being least distressed).
The numbers for Macon County are listed, followed by the numbers for the least and most distressed counties in North Carolina:
Adjusted Property
Tax Base Per Capita
FY 2016-2017
$228,464
Rank 97
Dare County ranked 100th with $378, 627 Adjusted Property Tax Base Per Capita and Robeson County ranked 1st with $46, 493 Adjusted Property Tax Base Per Capita.
Population Growth
(July 2013-July 2016)
Percent change +2.78%
Rank 71
Brunswick County ranked 100th with 10.44% population growth and Halifax County ranked 1st with 3.17% population loss. 35 counties in North Carolina saw a net loss in population from July 2013 to July 2016.
Median Household Income
(2015)
Income $41,395
Rank 48
Union County ranked 100th with a median income of $71,690 and Halifax County ranked 1st with $31,952 for a median income.
Unemployment
12 Month Average
(Oct 16-Sept 17)
Rate 4.87%
Rank 47
Buncombe County ranked 100th at 3.56% unemployment and Hyde County ranked 1st with 9.22% unemployment.
County Rank Sum
(Lower is more distressed)
263
Economic Distress Rank
(#1 is most distressed)
Rank 73
Chatham County had an economic distress rank of 100 with a Sum of 371 and Edgecombe County had an economic distress rank of 1 with a sum of 14.
Population
(July 2016)
35,047
Poverty Rate
(5-year 2011-2016)
19.1%
Camden County had the lowest poverty rate with 7.9% of the population in poverty and Robeson County had the highest poverty rate with 31.6% of the population living in poverty.
Here are the Tier Rankings for Macon County from 2007-2018 (numbers before 2007 are not on the NC Commerce website).
2018 Tier 1
2017 Tier 1
2016 Tier 1
2015 Tier 1
2014 Tier 2
2013 Tier 2
2012 Tier 2
2011 Tier 2
2010 Tier 2
2009 Tier 2
2008 Tier 2
2007 Tier 2
Here is the Press Release:
PRESS RELEASE
NC Dept of Commerce
November 29, 2017
Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Department of Commerce released the county tier designations for 2018 today. The designations, which are mandated by state law, play a role in several programs that assist in economic development.
Using a formula outlined in General Statue §143B-437.08, N.C. Commerce gathers required statistics for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties, applies the formula and required adjustments, and assigns a tier designation ranking from one to three. Tier 1 counties are generally the most economically distressed and Tier 3 counties are generally the least economically distressed.
The rankings are based on an assessment of each county’s unemployment rate, median household income, population growth, and assessed property value per capita. In addition, any county with a population of less than 12,000 or a county with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents with 19 percent or more of those people living below the federal poverty level are automatically classified as Tier 1. The law calls for 40 counties to be designated as Tier 1, 40 counties to be designated as Tier 2, and 20 counties to be designated Tier 3.
Six counties will change tier designations for 2018. Lenoir and Perquimans will shift from a Tier 2 to a Tier 1 ranking. Forsyth County will change from a Tier 3 to a Tier 2 ranking. Beaufort and Caldwell counties will move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 status. Granville County will shift from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
Tier designations determine eligibility for a number of different grant programs that N.C. Commerce administers including building reuse, water and sewer infrastructure, and the downtown revitalization Main Street program. Tier designations also play a role in the state’s performance-based Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program, serving as a mechanism to channel funds for infrastructure improvements to less populated areas of the state.
For more information about the tier designation system visit:
nccommerce.com/research-publications/incentive-reports/county-tier-designations
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Posted at 12:57 pm on November 30, 2017
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