Raleigh’s Rise: Why This City is Winning the War on Talent
As the capital of North Carolina, Raleigh welcomes 19 million visitors a year. Known both as the “City of Oaks” as well as the “Smithsonian of the South,” Raleigh boasts many world-class parks, museums, and live music venues. It’s also the location of the first historically Black university in the South—Shaw University in the heart of Raleigh—and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) offers non-stop flights to many top destinations, including New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco, as well as Paris and London.
Raleigh—together with Durham and Chapel Hill—is also part of the renowned Research Triangle, home of the Research Triangle Park (RTP), the largest research park in the United States. It spans 7,000 acres and employs more than 55,000 workers, which contributes significantly to the robustness of the Raleigh job market.
Whether you’re a job seeker or an employer, Raleigh has something to offer you. Here are five reasons why Raleigh should be on your radar.
- Ranked #1 for College Students
For the second year in a row, Raleigh has ranked #1 for college graduates, according to ADP Research. The study analyzed data across 55 major cities (with a population of at least one million residents), looking into hiring rates, average annual salaries, affordability-adjusted wages, and the frequency with which graduates with a bachelor’s degree had been hired in the last 12 months. With a hiring rate of 4.2 percent, that made Raleigh the highest of all the cities.
- Higher Education Hub
As mentioned, Raleigh is home of the Research Triangle, which refers as much to the top universities in the area as to the cities themselves. Duke University in Durham, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh are all nationally regarded for the quality of graduates completing their degrees. Because 65,000 bachelor’s degrees are awarded from Research Triangle schools every year, nearly $3 billion in annual funding is injected into research and development to compound gains.
- Growing Job Market
The Research Triangle is home to more than 300 corporations. The region has been attracting more and more tech companies, including Apple’s $1 billion campus, which created more than 3,000 jobs, Google’s $1 billion investment, which created more than 1,000 new positions, and Microsoft’s software development center, which employed more than 2,5000 workers. Other prominent industries contributing to Raleigh’s growing job market are healthcare, government, education, advanced manufacturing, and life sciences. Top employers, besides the major universities, include Duke Health, the State of North Carolina, Walmart, and WakeMed Health and Hospitals.
- Business Opportunities
According to Forbes, Raleigh ranks #3 on its list of the best places for business and careers. It also has the lowest corporate tax rate in the U.S.—2.25 percent—which makes it attractive for employers, entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and small business owners. The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce provides resources for businesses looking to establish or expand their operations, while Wake County Economic Development offers incentive programs for both new and existing businesses.
- Opportunities for Older Workers
According to research from North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management, many companies are concerned about the impacts the aging workforce will have on their business operations, but few have implemented the necessary changes to address these issues. Those that help older workers transition into retirement by providing additional training and modifying working conditions have noticed improvements to productivity, but more needs to be done since older workers who choose to retire leave talent gaps. As for those that get laid off, 61 percent of workers were re-employed one quarter later. While these number trail behind those of younger workers, they are better than pre-pandemic numbers, so there is reason to be hopeful that the talents of older workers are still in demand.
Whether you’re looking to attract top-tier talent, expand your operations, or establish your company in a thriving business ecosystem, Raleigh’s job market offers the perfect conditions for growth. With its steady pipeline of highly educated graduates, business-friendly tax environment, and access to a diverse, multi-generational workforce, Raleigh provides employers with the competitive advantages needed to scale successfully. The region’s robust infrastructure—from the Research Triangle’s innovation hub to world-class transportation and quality of life amenities—means you’re not just hiring employees; you’re building teams who want to stay and grow with your organization.
As companies across industries continue to choose Raleigh as their home base, the question isn’t whether to tap into this market—it’s how quickly you can position your organization to benefit from it. Acara Solutions specializes in helping employers navigate Raleigh’s dynamic talent landscape, connecting you with the skilled professionals who will drive your business forward.
