Manufacturing is one of Iredell’s Top Industry Sectors with 14,5% employment, representing 11,730 workers with over 350 employer firms. The Charlotte Region manufacturing cluster represents 145,000 workers at 3,600 employer firms. The growth in advanced manufacturing is diversified across a number of areas including Automotive Parts, Components, Plastics, Advanced Textiles, Machinery, and Energy Manufacturing. Through the support of partnership among economic development partners, industry, and academia, there are a number of workforce and research and innovation assets workforce development initiatives that have been instrumental in growing this industry as a leading employment sector in the region.
Among the reasons Advanced Manufacturers choose Iredell and the region include:
• Connectivity: We are a major transportation corridor with access I77, I40, and I85 connecting 72% of the US within a 2-Day Trucking Drive. We have 2 railroads that serve Iredell County, Alexander Railroad and Norfolk Southern. Iredell is 40 minutes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the world.
• Low Cost Of Doing Business: The Charlotte Region provides a low cost of doing business, through the lowest unionization rates in the US, a business friendly tax structure, and low cost of living.
• Robust Industrial Base: With over 145,000 manufacturing workers in the Charlotte Region, there are numerous education and research and innovation assets to support manufacturers.
• Future Growth: Iredell County and the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia MSA are one the fastest growing metros in the country and this growth creates more opportunities for our industries to thrive.
