B2B cold email software in North Carolina
Verified federal data on the North Carolina business market, plus outreach guides for its largest cities and service industries. Acqro researches every company on your list and writes each email from what it finds.
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How many businesses are in North Carolina?
North Carolina had 258,169 business establishments in 2023, ranking 8th among the 50 states and DC, with 70,640 of them employing 10 to 249 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns. Acqro is AI cold email software that researches each of those companies before writing to them.
The North Carolina B2B market in numbers
- Business establishments
- 258,169+1.4% vs 2022Census CBP 2023
- Firms with 10–249 employees
- 70,640Census CBP 2023
- Paid employees
- 4,279,425Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $60,692Census CBP 2023
- Professional services firms
- 28,189Census CBP 2023, NAICS 54
- Share of US establishments
- 3.1%Census CBP 2023
71.9% of establishments in North Carolina have fewer than 10 employees, below the 73.0% share for the United States. The 70,640 establishments with 10 to 249 employees are where most B2B lists should start: large enough to have a budget and a defined buyer, small enough that an owner or department head still makes the call and reads their own email.
By employment, the largest sectors are health care and social assistance (15.0% of jobs) and retail trade (12.5% of jobs). Relative to the national mix, manufacturing (11.0% locally against 8.8% nationally) stand out, which makes them natural first segments for outbound.
The number of establishments changed by +1.4% between 2022 and 2023, faster than the +0.8% change for the United States. New and growing businesses are the accounts most likely to be choosing vendors for the first time, so pair that list with research on hiring, new locations and leadership changes before writing a single email.
Largest industries in North Carolina
Sectors ranked by paid employment, compared with the national mix.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg. annual pay | Share of jobs | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 27,809 | 641,503 | $61,238 | 15.0% | 15.8% |
| Retail trade | 35,534 | 535,341 | $34,297 | 12.5% | 11.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 24,293 | 477,208 | $22,867 | 11.2% | 10.4% |
| Manufacturing | 8,664 | 472,162 | $63,742 | 11.0% | 8.8% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 28,189 | 316,460 | $89,740 | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| Administrative, support and waste management services | 14,976 | 297,304 | $46,988 | 6.9% | 9.6% |
| Construction | 28,390 | 249,407 | $68,533 | 5.8% | 5.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 13,591 | 221,722 | $115,203 | 5.2% | 5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 11,177 | 209,564 | $89,326 | 4.9% | 4.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 7,782 | 181,260 | $54,236 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
Where North Carolina businesses are concentrated
Counties ranked by number of business establishments.
| County | Establishments | Share of state | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 36,472 | 14.1% | 732,418 |
| Wake County | 33,873 | 13.1% | 556,250 |
| Guilford County | 14,306 | 5.5% | 265,517 |
| Buncombe County | 9,863 | 3.8% | 127,409 |
| Forsyth County | 9,141 | 3.5% | 190,157 |
| New Hanover County | 8,710 | 3.4% | 121,389 |
| Durham County | 8,282 | 3.2% | 229,497 |
| Cumberland County | 5,947 | 2.3% | 98,142 |
| Union County | 5,732 | 2.2% | 66,082 |
| Iredell County | 5,405 | 2.1% | 80,234 |
Cold email guides for North Carolina cities
Each guide covers the county that contains the city.
| City | County | Establishments in county |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | Mecklenburg County | 36,472 |
| Durham | Durham County | 8,282 |
| Greensboro | Guilford County | 14,306 |
| Raleigh | Wake County | 33,873 |
B2B service industries in North Carolina
Establishment counts in North Carolina for the service industries Acqro customers work in. Each links to an outreach guide.
| Industry | Census industry (NAICS) | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Real Estate Brokers | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 6,880 |
| Law Firms | Offices of Lawyers | 4,025 |
| Commercial Insurance Brokers | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 3,914 |
| Management Consultants | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 3,887 |
| Commercial Cleaning Companies | Janitorial Services | 2,277 |
| Healthtech Vendors | Computer Systems Design Services | 1,947 |
| Software Development Agencies | Custom Computer Programming Services | 1,680 |
| CPA and Accounting Firms | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 1,674 |
| SEO Agencies | Marketing Consulting Services | 1,476 |
| Staffing Agencies | Temporary Help Services | 1,403 |
| Financial Advisory Firms | Investment Advice | 741 |
| Architecture Firms | Architectural Services | 625 |
| Office Design Firms | Interior Design Services | 565 |
| SaaS Companies | Software Publishers | 524 |
| Logistics Providers | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 483 |
| Commercial Waste Services | Solid Waste Collection | 393 |
| Corporate Caterers | Caterers | 356 |
| Marketing Agencies | Advertising Agencies | 354 |
| Video Production Companies | Motion Picture and Video Production | 335 |
| Corporate Training Providers | Professional and Management Development Training | 280 |
| Cybersecurity Firms | Other Computer Related Services | 255 |
| HR Consultancies | Human Resources Consulting Services | 241 |
| Executive Search Firms | Executive Search Services | 233 |
| PR Agencies | Public Relations Agencies | 198 |
| Event Management Companies | Convention and Trade Show Organizers | 168 |
| Managed Service Providers | Computer Facilities Management Services | 156 |
| Payroll Providers | Payroll Services | 137 |
| Merchant Services Providers | Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities | 107 |
| Business Telecom and VoIP Providers | Telecommunications Resellers | 97 |
| Translation Services | Translation and Interpretation Services | 71 |
Cold email in North Carolina, answered
How many businesses are in North Carolina?
North Carolina had 258,169 business establishments in 2023, employing 4,279,425 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What are the largest industries in North Carolina?
By paid employment in 2023: health care and social assistance (15.0% of jobs), retail trade (12.5% of jobs) and accommodation and food services (11.2% of jobs). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Guides for North Carolina
Other states
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
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