Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Construction in North Carolina, 2026 Edition
NAICS 23
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
27,508
Employees
238,300
Annual payroll
$15.10B
2. National context
North Carolina accounts for 3.44% of the 800,651 US establishments in this sector and ranks 7th out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
NC avg annual wage
$63,352
US avg annual wage
$72,589
North Carolina sector wages are -12.7% versus the national average for NAICS 23.
4. Federal exclusion overlay (state-wide)
OIG LEIE individuals + entities
1,827
SAM debarred/excluded
2,618
Exclusion counts are state-wide across all NAICS, not specific to Construction. Sourced from OIG LEIE and SAM exclusion lists, as of 2026-05-27.
5. Top 3 counties by establishment count
| Rank | County | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wake County | 3,233 | 35,006 |
| #2 | Mecklenburg County | 3,020 | 34,818 |
| #3 | Guilford County | 1,290 | 13,148 |
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