Red Tape 50 · State Profile
North Carolina
Overall State Ranking
#9 of 50
Permitting Detail
Statewide permit records · Red Tape Index
Permitting Rank
#40of 50
Approval Score
13.90
Lower = faster · same scale as the rankings table
Commercial Approval Score
81.3
0-100, higher = faster
Residential Approval Score
83.8
0-100, higher = faster
Tags Score
42.4
0-100 approval-quality signal
Economic Profile & Benchmarks
How independent national rankings see this state (1-50, 1 = best)
Top States for Business
CNBC, 2025
#1
Economy
#3
Infrastructure
#11
Cost of Business
#21
Business Friendliness
#4
Workforce
#4
Access to Capital
#8
Tech & Innovation
#13
Education
#6
Cost of Living
#23
Quality of Life
#29
Best States
US News & World Report
#13
Economy
#7
Fiscal Stability
#14
Infrastructure
#32
Opportunity
#18
Education
#12
Health Care
#25
Crime & Corrections
#25
Natural Environment
#26
Best States to Live
WalletHub
#22
Affordability
#17
Economy
#16
Education & Health
#35
Quality of Life
#16
Safety
#35
Benchmark ranks are published by their respective sources and shown here for context; they are inputs or companions to the Red Tape 50 composite, not outputs of it.
Pillar Breakdown
Composite inputs · full bar = #1 of 50
Fiscal
Freedom in the 50 States
#27of 50
Tax & fiscal policy. 1 = most competitive tax environment.
Land Use
Freedom in the 50 States
#24of 50
Zoning & development regulation. 1 = least restrictive rules.
Labor
Freedom in the 50 States
#11of 50
Labor market. 1 = strongest workforce conditions.
Growth
US Census
#8of 50
Population growth. 1 = fastest growing state.
Affordability
WalletHub
#17of 50
Housing & cost of living. 1 = most affordable.
Infrastructure
CNBC Top States
#11of 50
Roads, transit, utilities. 1 = best infrastructure.
Cost of Business
CNBC Top States
#21of 50
Operating cost burden. 1 = lowest costs.
Business Friendliness
CNBC Top States
#4of 50
Regulatory climate. 1 = most pro-business.
State Snapshot
External benchmarks, sourced independently of the composite
Population Growth
5.8%#8 of 50
US Census, 5-year
Urban Population
67%
Share living in urban areas
Top States for Business
#1of 50
CNBC, 2025
Best States
#13of 50
US News
Best States to Live
#22of 50
WalletHub
Tech & Science
#11score 62.5
State Tech & Science Index