Palavir · State of US Industries, 2026 Edition
State of Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation in North Carolina, 2026 Edition
NAICS 71
May 28, 2026
1. Market sizing (2022)
Establishments
4,391
Employees
65,352
Annual payroll
$2.61B
2. National context
North Carolina accounts for 2.69% of the 162,960 US establishments in this sector and ranks 7th out of 51 reporting states.
3. Workforce wages
NC avg annual wage
$39,898
US avg annual wage
$47,463
North Carolina sector wages are -15.9% versus the national average for NAICS 71.
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 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. 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 | Mecklenburg County | 680 | 14,604 |
| #2 | Wake County | 569 | 10,259 |
| #3 | Guilford County | 231 | 3,079 |
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