For more information, contact us at 800.544 or 704.347.8942 www.charlotteusa.com

Catawba County, NC

County Map

Total Population, 2015

Total Households, 2015

Median Age, 2015

Projected Population, 2019

Educational Attainment, 2015

Population 25 and Older

High School Diploma

Some College

Associate’s Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Graduate or Professional Degree

2015 SAT score, county average

2015 SAT score, state average

Income, 2015

Median Household Income

Per Capita Income

Employment by Industry, 2015

Agriculture, Mining

Construction

FIRE

Manufacturing

Public Administration

Retail Trade

Wholesale Trade

Services

Transportation, Utilities

Total Employment, 16+

Labor Force, 2015

Labor Force

Unemployment Rate

Source: ESRI 2015, NC Dept of Public Education, NC ESC

MAJOR EMPLOYERS (non government)Company Major Product Employees

Catawba Memorial Hospital Healthcare 1,000+

Commscope Inc. Manufacturing 1,000+

Frye Regional Medical Center Healthcare 1,000+

Corning Cable Systems LLC Manufacturing 1,000+

Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. Manufacturing 500-999

Located northwest of Charlotte in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Catawba County possesses a diverse economy coupled with extensive retail and residential developments. Catawba County’s largest city, Hickory, lies at the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 321 and is the commercial and retail center of the Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir MSA, the only MSA contiguous to the Charlotte MSA.

Considered a center of the manufacturing industry, Catawba County and the Hickory Metro have spent years diversifying their industrial base. Some of Catawba’s manufacturing sectors include machining and metal working, plastics, cable, fiber and furniture. The NC Center for Engineering Technologies and the Manufacturing Solutions Center, which specialize in manufacturing related processes, are designed to develop programming and problem-solving techniques to assist business and industry. Prototyping, reverse engineering andplastics labs, and other manufacturing equipment at these institutions areavailable to all existing industries to help provide them with a competitiveadvantage.

Catawba County led North Carolina’s data center recruitment efforts with a focused approach to targeting data centers through the development and marketing of the NC Data Center Corridor. The county gained world-wide recognition with the recruitment of Apple’s data center in Maiden and Bed Bath & Beyond’s data center in Claremont.

Catawba County’s manufacturing strength is supported by a rich geography and diverse lifestyle that has brought the area national recognition. Forbes magazine currently ranks the Hickory Metro area 1st in the nation for lowest business costs. Outlook Americas has ranked three Catawba County municipalities in the top five Best Manufacturing Small Towns in the Country, and Southern Business and Development ranked the Hickory Metro 3rd in its Small Market category for Top Deals and Hot Markets. Reader’s Digest named the Hickory Metro area the 10th Best Place to Live and Raise a Family in the United States, and Business North Carolina designated Hickory the 8th best city in the state for its quality of life.

A new community-wide effort, Innovate Catawba, is focused on transforming Catawba County’s economy. Addressing a critical need for new buildings and jobsites is an Innovate Catawba

priority, as is demolishing obsolete buildings while redeveloping and transforming former mill buildings into offices, restaurants, and entertainment spaces. A public/private partnership has constructed the Claremont Spec Building to provide desirable manufacturing space that will generate new jobs. Two new business parks have been developed to attractmore of the county’s target industries.

155,331

61,436

41.1

156,398

106,942

24.10%

21.70%

10.0%

15.20%

7.30%

1,463

1,479

$44,208

$23,786

0.6%

5.0%

3.9%

25.6%

3.0%

11.7%

3.4%

41.0%

4.8%

72,602

77,306

5.70%

For more information, contact us at 800.544 or 704.347.8942 www.charlotteusa.com

Catawba County, NC

Contact Information:Ronnie BryantCharlotte Regional Partnership550 S. Caldwell Street, Suite 760704.347.8942www.charlotteusa.comrbryant@charlotteusa.com

Contact Us

Contact Information:Scott MillarCatawba County Economic Development CorporationP.O. Box 3388Hickory, NC 28603828.267.1564www.catawbaedc.orgsmillar@catawbacountync.gov

Announced Jobs & InvestmentsJobs announced since 2008 15,596

Total investment announced since 2008 $1,120,708,507

Accessibility

Nearest Major City Charlotte

Distance to Nearest Major City 50 miles

Nearest Commercial Airport Hickory Reg’l

Runway Length 6,400 ft.

Distance to Nearest Airport 0 miles

Nearest Interstate I-40

Distance to Nearest Interstate 0 miles

Nearest Deepwater Port

Distance to Nearest Deepwater Port 255 miles

Foreign Trade Zone Accessibility Yes

Population within 50 mile radius, 2014 2,760,096

Development Capacity

Wastewater Treatment Capacity Available Yes

Natural Gas Available Yes

Taxes, Sales & Service

Property Taxes/$100 value (FY14-15) $ 0.5300

Taxable Retail Sales (Mil$, FY 2013-14) $1,810

Number of Physicians, 2011 378

Physicians per 10,000 population, 2011 24.4

RN per 10,000 population, 2011 127.4

Dentists per 10,000 population, 2011 4.5

Sources: County Data, ESRI 2014, and NC Department of Revenue

Average Weekly Wage 2014

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing $556

Utilities $1,807

Construction $705

Manufacturing $848

Wholesale Trade $953

Retail Trade $477

Transportation & Warehousing $780

Information $803

Finance & Insurance $969

Real Estate & Rental & Leasing $579

Professional & Technical Services $839

Management of Companies & Enterprises $1,918

Administrative & Waste Services $410

Educational Services $634

Health Care & Social Assistance $828

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation $372

Accommodation & Food Services $265

Public Administration $788

Average Weekly Wage $720

Unemployment Insurance

New Employers (per $100) 1.2%

Deficit Employers (max rate) 6.84%

Minimum Tax Rate 0.00%

Taxable Base $21,400

Inventory Tax

Finished Goods none

Raw Materials none

Goods in Process none

Mat’l consumed in Mfg. none

Sales Tax, General

State 4.75%

Local 2.25%

Sales Tax, Special Provisions

Electricity (farms and manufacturing exempt) 7.0%

Natural Gas 7% of receipts

Manufacturing Fuels none

Manufacturing Equipment none

Telecomm Service: Intrastate (state + county) 7%

Education

Public Schools 37

Private Schools 11

School Districts 2

Colleges & Universities 2