UNC $30 Billion Ripple Effect

ORANGE SLICES

Jasmine King is a postdoctoral Research Associate at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy by Megan Mendenhall

Quick pop quiz: how much is a university actually worth to a state? For UNC-Chapel Hill, the answer just got a lot more specific—and a lot more impressive. UNC alumni working in North Carolina generated more than $30 billion in total economic activity during fiscal year 2025.

That’s billion with a ‘B.’

To put that into perspective, $30 billion is roughly the size of the entire annual economy of some small states and countries. It’s also about $82 million of economic activity every single day.

Surprisingly, those numbers don’t represent all 180,000 UNC alumni living in the state. They come from only about 64,000 graduates living and working in North Carolina who earned their degrees within the past two decades.

Erin Siegal McIntyre is an investigative journalist and professor in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media by Caroline Bittenbender

That relatively small group also helped support 135,458 jobs across the state—about the same as the combined population of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough.

Their work also generated $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue—money that helps pay for schools, roads, public safety and other services throughout North Carolina.

Alumni are only part of the story.

UNC employees—faculty and staff—generated $8.3 billion in economic activity.

For research— funding created $5.5 billion in economic activity, supporting discoveries in areas ranging from cancer treatments to rural health care to artificial intelligence.

UNC-affiliated startups—nearly 700 active companies founded by students, alumni, faculty and researchers—generated nearly $8 billion in economic activity.

The university measures these categories—alumni, employees, research and UNC-affiliated startups—separately to avoid counting the same dollars twice. Even viewed independently, each represents an economic engine that would rank among North Carolina’s largest industries.

Orange County feels the impact every day.

In Orange County:

• Alumni generated $2.1 billion in economic activity and supported nearly 13,000 jobs.

• UNC employees generated $6.5 billion and supported more than 29,000 jobs.

• Research spending created $2.3 billion.

• UNC-affiliated startups generated $712 million.

Those numbers help explain why UNC is often described as the economic heart of Orange County

Ted Zoller, a T.W. Lewis Clinical Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship in the Kenan-Flagler School of Business speaks to attendees at the Carolina North Stakeholder Committee meeting by Johnny Andrews

Behind every statistic is a person.

One of the most interesting parts of the report is the interactive Tar Heel Footprint Map, which shows where UNC graduates live and work across North Carolina.

Examples include a pharmacy graduate returning home to operate a community pharmacy, a UNC Law graduate helping lead Canton after Hurricane Helene, Thomas McDowell continuing a four-generation pharmacy tradition in Scotland Neck, a UNC researcher studying shellfish health and coastal resilience, and the three UNC graduates who created Shibumi Shade, now with more than 300,000 shades sold nationwide.

Exploring the power of innovation at UNC Wilmington, where maritime research and coastal projects are shaping the future of our oceans and communities, courtesy of UNC-Chapel Hill.

Why it matters.

The story isn’t simply about a university producing large numbers.

It’s about how one institution creates ripple effects that touch hospitals, schools, research labs, courtrooms, pharmacies, small businesses, manufacturing, disaster recovery and entrepreneurial innovation across North Carolina.

When you add together the graduates who stay here, the discoveries made in laboratories, the companies launched from research and the thousands of people employed on campus, UNC becomes far more than a university.

It becomes one of North Carolina’s most powerful economic engines.

Bottom line: UNC isn’t just where people go to get a degree. It’s where a huge chunk of North Carolina’s economy actually happens. Not bad for a school that started with one building and 41 students.

So the next time someone asks whether a public university matters to a state’s economy, you can answer with confidence:

More than $30 billion worth.

Share your thoughts with me here, Laurie Paolicelli

Disclaimer: Published by Orange County’s Tourism Department through its Public Relations team, this story includes interviews and repurposed content from websites and partner press releases. For more, visit www.visitchapelhill.org or contact Laurie Paolicelli.

Laurie Paolicelli is executive director for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, a position she has held since 2005. Laurie has worked in tourism and marketing for twenty-five years, having served in leadership roles in Houston and California convention and visitor bureaus. She is a native of the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN/Superior Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Communications from the University Wisconsin-Superior and graduate certification in Technology In Marketing from the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media. This reporter can be reached at Information@TheLocalReporter.press