RALEIGH, N.C. (WHKY) – North Carolina is officially a top-ten national powerhouse for innovation. According to the state’s newly released Tracking Innovation report, the Tar Heel State has climbed to ninth in the country for overall innovation capacity, outracing the national average since the early 2000s. The information was released by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

The engine behind this boom? World-class academic research, a massive surge in local tech startups, and highly educated talent moving into the state at three times the national rate. In fact, high-tech business establishments have more than doubled over the last two decades, bringing in critical new jobs that pay roughly twice the state average.

But state officials warn that the economic lift isn’t hitting everyone equally. While tech gains are beginning to spread, the report highlights critical hurdles ahead—including lagging public school funding, unequal broadband access, and rural communities being left behind. Leaders say the state’s next major challenge is ensuring this historic tech boom reaches every single corner of North Carolina.