A data-driven look at the prevalence of diabetes in North Carolina

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, affects millions of people nationwide. The disease develops when the body either resists insulin or fails to produce enough insulin, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels. In this post, I discuss the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes across North Carolina’s 100 counties and its association with county-level contextual factors. The map below shows 2021 diabetes rates across the United States, showing that about 6–12% of most…

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2025 North Carolina School District Typology

By on 9.25.25 in Education

Last year, our partners at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) approached us about a project to develop a North Carolina School District Typology. During the fall of last year and this past winter we developed the typology and solicited feedback from superintendents across the state via two webinars hosted by NCDPI. This past spring, we completed the typology and were honored to present our findings to the North Carolina State Board of…

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From Service to Civilian: How Do Veterans Fare in the Job Market? 

By on 4.23.25 in NC in Focus

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released an expanded version of the Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO) data, offering insights into the earnings and employment outcomes of more than 2.8 million formerly enlisted service members. In this blog post, we explore what the data tell us about how honorably discharged veterans fare in the job market, including:   Median earnings by military branch and sex  Employment distribution over time by industry  Veteran employment counts in North Carolina  Median…

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The demographics of North Carolina’s foreign-born population

In recent weeks, we’ve received many data requests from journalists and community leaders across North Carolina about the state's foreign-born population. This heightened interest is largely driven by concerns about how the new presidential administration’s policies may affect North Carolina. In this blog, we provide a demographic overview of the state’s foreign-born population. How many foreign-born residents live in North Carolina? Since 1990, the foreign-born population has grown by 763 percent.  According to the 2023…

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A snapshot of breast cancer in North Carolina, by the data

By on 12.11.24 in Uncategorized

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in women and second leading cause of cancer-related death after lung cancer. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer within their lifetime, and one in 43 will die from breast cancer, according to analyzes by the American Cancer Society. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports that in North Carolina each year more than 8,000 women are diagnosed with cancer and…

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North Carolina in Focus: 2023 Veteran’s Snapshot

By on 11.11.24 in NC in Focus

In light of Veterans Day on Monday, November 11th, we are providing some statistics about North Carolina’s veteran population. The last profile on the demographics of NC Veterans was published in May 2021.   This updated post provides key information on North Carolina veterans for the year 2023, drawing on data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Veterans Affairs. It includes:  Distribution of veterans by age and sex Number of veterans residing in each NC county …

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Staff Spotlight on Belk Impact Fellow Bhairavi Jayaraman

By on 10.28.24 in Uncategorized

Gigi Taylor, a professor in the English department at UNC Chapel Hill, remembers Bhairavi Jayaraman walking up to her after class, nervous about applying to a fellowship opportunity.   “Well come on upstairs, I want to introduce you to the dean who shared this opportunity,” Taylor told Jayaraman, then an undergraduate at UNC studying Economics and Public Policy.   By the time Jayaraman left the dean’s office, Taylor said, “he was so impressed with her…

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Low-Income Students in Western North Carolina and the Long Road to Recovery After Helene

After this piece was published, our partners at myFutureNC pointed out that impacted school districts in the Northwest part of our state were excluded from the original analysis (Ashe, Burke, Caldwell, and others). This post has now been revised to include all school districts impacted by Helene in Western North Carolina. Three years after the pandemic, students in Western North Carolina (WNC) are confronting a new challenge: the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm, which…

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Who are North Carolina’s Registered Democrats? A 2024 update

This is part of our series looking at the demographics of North Carolina's registered voters. Other stories include an in-depth look at North Carolina's Republican voters and an in-depth look at North Carolina's unaffiliated voters. This is an update of our story from Sept. 2023.  As of Sept. 28, 2024, North Carolina had 7.6 million registered voters. Of these, 2,413,469 million, or 32%, were registered Democrat.  Age  Older voters are the most likely to register…

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Who are North Carolina’s Unaffiliated Voters? 2024 Update

This is part of our series looking at the demographics of North Carolina's registered voters. Other stories include an in-depth look at North Carolina's Republican voters and an in-depth look at North Carolina's Democrat voters. This is an update of our story from Sept. 2023.  As of Sept. 28, 2024, North Carolina had 7.6 million registered voters. Of these, 2,886,573 million, or 38%, were registered unaffiliated. This post examines the characteristics of North Carolina's unaffiliated…

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