Raleigh -- September 24, 2026: NC Gov. Josh Stein and the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC) have announced the Western North Carolina Economic Recovery Plan, establishing a coordinated blueprint to revitalize, rebuild, and diversify the mountain region’s economy.
Developed nearly two years after Hurricane Helene devastated communities across Western North Carolina, the framework is designed not only to restore what was lost to floodwaters, but to address persistent economic hurdles that predate the storm.
“While the headlines about Helene have faded over the last two years, the work remains. Western North Carolinians know best how to keep moving forward,” Governor Stein said in a statement. “That is why this plan takes the priorities the region set for itself and puts the state’s weight behind them. Together, we can build an economy that’s stronger and more diversified than the one the storm hit – because that is what a full recovery requires.”
Built by the Region, for the Region
The plan incorporates direct input from leaders representing 28 Western North Carolina counties, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (Qualla Boundary), five regional councils of government, local chambers of commerce, and regional economic development organizations.
State officials emphasized that the strategy does not establish an unfunded mandate or override local authority. Instead, it integrates five federally recognized regional economic development strategies into a single shared framework, enabling local governments and civic groups to pool resources and align priorities effectively.
The initiative organizes regional recovery into nine core lines of effort, each assigned named leadership with concrete five- and ten-year benchmark targets:
Infrastructure
Housing
Economic Development & Entrepreneurship
Education & Workforce Development
Agriculture
Health Care
Natural Resources
Arts, Culture, and Tourism
Countering Long-Term Economic Shifts and Labor Shrinkage
The framework directly tackles decades-long structural headwinds. Over the past 30 years, North Carolina lost more than 40% of its manufacturing employment, leaving mountain communities disproportionately vulnerable to economic shocks.
That vulnerability worsened following Helene. According to data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Western North Carolina’s labor force shrank by more than 16,000 workers between April 2023 and April 2026, even as the statewide population continued to expand.
Several major projects are already serving as cornerstones for the turnaround:
WNC Futures Factory: Backed by a $29.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to establish an advanced manufacturing, technology, and workforce training facility in Buncombe County.
Good Jobs WNC: An 11-community-college, 23-county partnership designed to train regional residents for roughly 1,200 high-wage, high-demand jobs.
Regional Connectivity: Accelerated construction along critical corridors, anchored by the ongoing $1.8 billion Interstate 26 Connector project.
The Creative Economy: Targeted investments to sustain the region’s traditional craft, arts, and tourism industries, which accounted for more than $3 billion in sales and nearly 35,000 jobs in 2025.
Progress on the Ground and the Path Ahead
The long-term plan builds on ongoing stabilization and rebuilding benchmarks achieved across the mountains:
More than 1,250 homes repaired or rebuilt through the Renew NC initiative and nonprofit volunteer partners.
Nearly 16.5 million cubic yards of storm debris cleared from roadways, public lands, and waterways.
99% of affected public drinking water systems fully restored and 99% of damaged state-maintained roads reopened.
State lawmakers and Governor Stein providing over $2.4 billion in state recovery funds across six legislative relief packages, supplemented by $706.1 million included in the state budget passed this summer.
Despite those milestones, state officials caution that significant gaps remain—particularly regarding privately owned roads, damaged community bridges, and localized infrastructure not fully reimbursed by standard federal programs. State leaders continue to urge Congress to approve more than $10 billion in dedicated federal funding to support long-term housing, small-business restoration, and flood mitigation.
The Economic Recovery Plan will be formally presented to the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery, co-chaired by Senator Kevin Corbin and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, on Friday, September 25, during an open meeting at Mars Hill University.