9. North Carolina

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Biotechnology remains a key industry along the Research Triangle in North Carolina

Category	Score	2018 Rank	2017 Rank	Grade
Workforce	281	9	7 (Tie)	A-
Infrastructure	206	21	20 (Tie)	C+
Cost of Doing Business	222	16	9	A-
Economy	238	6	15 (Tie)	A
Quality of Life	145	28	28 (Tie)	D+
Technology & Innovation	153	11	6	B+
Education	80	37	32	D
Business Friendliness	83	23	8 (Tie)	C+
Access to Capital	82	9	9 (Tie)	A-
Cost of Living	33	18	19	B
Overall	1523	9	5	-

Economic Profile

Governor: Roy Cooper, Democrat

Population: 10,273,419

GDP growth (Q4 2017): 2.9 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2018): 4.3 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 3 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 5.499 percent

Gasoline tax: 34.35 cents/gallon

Bond rating (Moody's/S&P): Aaa, stable/AAA, stable

Major private employers: Wal-Mart, Bank of America

Economic profile sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute (excluding 18.40 cent/gallon federal tax), Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Overall Rankings 2018