Record-Breaking Private Sector Wage Growth
Caldwell County ranked 20th out of North Carolina’s 100 counties for wage growth in 2023. Since 2015, wages have grown an impressive 51.5%.
There is a long tradition of manufacturing here in Caldwell County. In fact, the county is home to several companies which have been manufacturing products locally for over a century. Today, the tradition continues as close to a quarter of all Caldwell County jobs are in some way tied to the manufacturing sector.
While Caldwell County remains strong in its heritage industries like textiles and furniture - the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA remains #1 in the country for furniture production – others such as metal fabrication and food processing are using cutting edge manufacturing techniques, coupled with Caldwell County’s advantageous utilities and trained workforce, to successfully establish themselves in the region.