Old North News

The U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) data reveals a shift in remote work trends across North Carolina. The state ranks 11th among the states and District of Columbia for remote work, improving from 13th place in 2022. Despite a steady decline from the peak levels seen in 2021, the percentage of those working from home in North Carolina remains more than double the pre-pandemic levels.

Raleigh-Cary stands out nationally as the third-highest metro area for remote workers, with 24.5% primarily working from home in 2023, following Boulder and Austin. This represents a slight decrease from 26.1% in 2022. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia also ranks high, placing sixth with 21.5% of its workforce based at home.

In contrast, regions like Greensboro-High Point, Winston-Salem, and Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton show lower rates of remote work due to their industry composition, which is heavily focused on manufacturing—a sector less conducive to telecommuting.

North Carolina's two largest counties, Mecklenburg and Wake, are among the top counties nationwide for remote work participation, ranking fourth and tenth respectively. However, many rural counties are not included in this analysis due to limited data availability.

The report indicates that while some areas see declines in remote work rates due to returns to office or hybrid models, urban centers continue to support higher rates of telecommuting due to professional services industries that allow such flexibility.

"Despite some large employers calling for a return to office...remote work remains a significant factor in North Carolina's labor landscape," highlighting regional differences ranging from Mecklenburg County's high rate of 28.9% down to Robeson County's low rate of 4.6%.

Monitoring these trends will be crucial for stakeholders across various sectors as they adapt strategies related to real estate markets, urban development, and talent management to maintain economic competitiveness and quality of life within the state.