The North Carolina Department of Commerce is out with economic distress rankings for all 100 counties.
The agency places counties into three tiers. Those tiers account for unemployment, household income, population growth, and property tax base.
Onslow, Pitt, Randolph, Surry, and Transylvania counties moved to higher levels of distress. Those counties saw a drop in median income or an increase in unemployment.
Thanks to population growth and lower unemployment, Avery, Caldwell, Cleveland, Pasquotank, and Swain counties are considered less distressed.
Counties in a high distress tier will get more money from the state for economic development, school construction, and other projects.