According to Riverbird Research, the overall concentration of jobs in the government industry across an 18-county area of WNC was approximately 17% greater than the national average in 2022.

The 2017-2022 jobs growth rate of -2% was on par with that of the state, supporting the employment of 55,861 individuals across 899 payrolled business locations earning an average annual wage of $54,193, excluding supplements.

Of 18 WNC counties, Buncombe was the most abundant in government industry jobs with 15,352, followed by Swain County with 6,661 jobs.

Nonprofit

According to Riverbird Research, the overall concentration of jobs in the nonprofit industry across an 18-county area of WNC was approximately 23% greater than the national average in 2022.

The 2017-2022 jobs growth rate of 16% was greater that the state’s growth rate of 14%, supporting the employment of 3,667 individuals across 433 payrolled business locations earning an average annual wage of $40,679, excluding supplements.

Of 18 WNC Counties, Buncombe was the most abundant in nonprofit industry jobs with 1,811, followed by Henderson County with 487 jobs.