Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Duplin County is set to move to a less distressed economic tier ranking in 2025, as announced last week by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The county is shifting from Tier 1 to Tier 2, with its economic distress ranking improving from #29 in 2024 to #41.
These rankings are based on an assessment of each county’s unemployment rate, median household income, population growth, and assessed property value per capita, as mandated by state law. The tier designation influences eligibility for various programs, including grant programs such as the One North Carolina Fund, building reuse initiatives, and water and sewer infrastructure grants.
Additionally, tier designations help allocate funds into the Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account, which supports infrastructure improvements in the state’s most distressed areas.
According to the 2025 County Development Tier Rankings, Duplin’s adjusted property tax base per capita for FY 24-25 value is $118,740, which shows a significant increase of $15,717 compared to the previous year.
The percentage of population growth, based on data from the N.C. Office of State Budget & Management July 2020-July 2023, indicates a 1.26% increase. This represents a significant change, as prior years reflected a population decrease of -1.57%. Consequently, Duplin’s position improved from #23 to #42.
Data from the U.S. Census Small Area Income & Poverty Estimates show that the median household income is $51,270, reflecting an increase of $6,121 compared to last year’s data, however the ranking remains unchanged.
The average unemployment rate for the 12-month period from November 2023 to October 2024 is 3.34%, showing a slight decrease of 0.08 compared to the previous year, but the ranking improved by 18 positions.
Overall, Duplin County’s total economic distress rank is #41, representing a 12-position improvement from last year.
At a recent meeting, County Manager Bryan Miller told the Board of County Commissioners that he was going to delve deeper to gain a clearer understanding of the calculations and the improvements made by the county. “It is showing signs that, at least on the surface, that Duplin County has improved their ranking within the state, which is always possible. But we need to understand things a little bit better,” said Miller.
Assistant County Manager Carrie Shields told Duplin Journal that they are pushing back on the tier designation and gathering more information before making further comments.
Each year, counties are assigned a tier designation ranking from one to three. There are 40 counties designated as Tier 1, which are considered the most economically distressed. An additional 40 counties are designated as Tier 2, and 20 counties are classified as Tier 3, which are the least economically distressed.
