North Carolina Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
North Carolina has 1,948,277 business records in Factur’s directory — the 7th-most of any U.S. state, or 3.0% of the national total. Charlotte leads its cities with 12.6% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 29.6%, and North Carolina ranks 13th for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 33 North Carolina cities and 9 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- North Carolina ranks 7th nationally with 1,948,277 business records — 3.0% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- A national-average share of large employers. North Carolina is 13th for records of companies with 500+ employees (2,382), with 12.2 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (37th of 52 states).
- North Carolina has more real estate and food & beverage than the U.S. mix:Real Estate is 5.7% of the state’s records against 4.4% nationally (1.3×); Food & Beverage is 1.7% of the state’s records against 1.4% nationally (1.2×).
- Charlotte is the state’s largest business hub, with 12.6% of all North Carolina records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro together hold 25.0% of the state’s records.
How North Carolina ranks nationally
North Carolina and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top North Carolina cities by number of business records
These 10 cities account for 42.0% of all records in North Carolina. Select any city to browse its full company list.
North Carolina businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all North Carolina records. Select a sector to see those North Carolina companies.
What sets North Carolina apart
Sectors that make up a bigger share of North Carolina’s records than of the U.S. as a whole. A ratio of 2.0× means the sector is twice as common here as nationally. Select a sector to browse it.
North Carolina businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In North Carolina, 1.41% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 680 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 1,902,471 | 98.59% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 20,728 | 1.07% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 5,282 | 0.27% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 747 | 0.04% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 385 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
North Carolina’s 1,948,277 records place it 7th nationally, 3.0% of the U.S. total, and 13th for large employers. That large-employer rank is well below its rank by records: its business base is weighted toward small companies. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro alone account for 25.0% of the state’s records — and the state leans toward real estate and food & beverage compared with the rest of the country. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in North Carolina?
Factur’s directory has 1,948,277 business records for North Carolina, the 7th-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in North Carolina?
2,382 North Carolina records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 13th among U.S. states, or 12.2 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which North Carolina city has the most businesses?
Charlotte has the most, with 12.6% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in North Carolina?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 29.6% of North Carolina records. Compared with the U.S. mix, North Carolina has proportionally more real estate and food & beverage.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). North Carolina Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/north-carolina<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/north-carolina">North Carolina Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the North Carolina directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in North Carolina? Browse the North Carolina directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.