North Carolina’s nonprofit sector was a substantial part of the state’s economy and civic life in the early 2010s. The state’s nonprofits contributed $38.5 billion annually in 2012, while nonprofit employment, volunteering, charitable giving, and rising service demand connected millions of North Carolinians to nonprofit work.
These statistics come from Our State’s Nonprofit Sector Is a Vital Part of North Carolina’s Economy and Quality of Life, a report from the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. The report is historical: most organizational and economic measures use FY 2012, Q2 2013, or December 2013 data, while demand and collaboration figures come from a 2014 survey. They describe the period measured and should not be treated as a current 2026 census.
Table of contents
- Statewide scale and economic contribution
- What North Carolina nonprofits worked on
- Regional nonprofit footprint
- County-level presence and employment
- Volunteers and charitable giving
- Demand, capacity, and operating pressure
Statewide scale and economic contribution
The report counted 10,633 North Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofits that filed annual financial reports with the IRS in FY 2012. The number of nonprofits grew 32% between 2002 and 2012, and nonprofit employment grew nearly 18% between 2007 and 2013. Together, those figures show a sector that expanded over the measured decade, although they do not establish how many organizations or jobs exist today.
The covered 501(c)(3) nonprofits accounted for 367,229 jobs before the report added an estimated 72,000 jobs in religious institutions. The report also gave a broader estimate of more than 400,000 North Carolinians employed by nonprofits, including religious nonprofit employment. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit figure represented 9.41% of total North Carolina employment in the report’s county table.
Nonprofit activity also had a measurable economic scale. In 2012, North Carolina nonprofits contributed $38.5 billion annually to the state economy. That contribution equaled 9% of North Carolina gross state product. For the covered workforce, average annual wages were $43,079.37 in 2011.
The counts use different definitions and dates, so they should be read carefully. The 10,633 figure covers organizations filing annual financial reports, while the employment measures include the report’s covered 501(c)(3) organizations and, in the broader estimate, religious nonprofit employment. The report’s nonprofit coverage generally excludes congregations that were not required to file.
What North Carolina nonprofits worked on
Human services was the largest field classification, accounting for 33.2% of North Carolina nonprofits in FY 2012. Education organizations represented 19.2%, and health-care and mental-health organizations represented 11.9%. These three fields alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of the classified organizations, making them central parts of the state’s nonprofit landscape during the period.
Community-improvement and public/societal-benefit organizations represented 10.0% of nonprofits. Arts, culture, and humanities organizations represented 9.5%, while religion-related and spiritual-development organizations represented 8.6%. Environment and animal-related organizations accounted for 4.7%, and research organizations in science, technology, and social science accounted for 1.6%.
| Nonprofit field | Share of North Carolina nonprofits | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Human services | 33.2% | FY 2012 |
| Education | 19.2% | FY 2012 |
| Health care and mental health | 11.9% | FY 2012 |
| Community improvement and public/societal benefit | 10.0% | FY 2012 |
| Arts, culture, and humanities | 9.5% | FY 2012 |
| Religion-related and spiritual development | 8.6% | FY 2012 |
| Environment and animal-related | 4.7% | FY 2012 |
| Research in science, technology, and social science | 1.6% | FY 2012 |
The report also described the broader IRS Business Master File snapshot from December 2013. Private foundations accounted for 2,407 of 27,975 registered North Carolina 501(c)(3) organizations listed in that snapshot. Other 501(c) organizations numbered 9,430. These figures are not interchangeable with the 10,633 organizations that filed annual financial reports in FY 2012; the underlying populations and reporting requirements differ.
Regional nonprofit footprint
Nonprofit activity varied considerably across the state’s named regions. The Triangle area had 2,794 covered 501(c)(3) nonprofits and $13,716,153,865 in total nonprofit expenditures in FY 2012. In Q2 2013, the region’s nonprofit employment totaled 121,413 jobs, equal to 13.27% of regional employment.
The Piedmont Triad had 1,791 covered nonprofits and $10,709,425,498 in expenditures in FY 2012. Its nonprofit employment totaled 72,504 jobs in Q2 2013, or 10.71% of regional employment. The Charlotte area had 2,247 covered nonprofits and $4,651,565,375 in expenditures, with 59,507 nonprofit jobs representing 5.65% of regional employment.
Western North Carolina had 1,634 covered 501(c)(3) nonprofits and $3,961,915,988 in expenditures in FY 2012. Its nonprofit employment reached 43,518 jobs in Q2 2013, equal to 11.35% of regional employment. Eastern North Carolina had 882 covered nonprofits and $2,958,780,853 in expenditures, with 32,866 nonprofit jobs representing 8.81% of regional employment. Southeastern North Carolina had 864 covered nonprofits and $2,129,117,460 in expenditures in FY 2012; the supplied report data do not include a corresponding employment-share figure for that region here.
| Region | Covered 501(c)(3) nonprofits | FY 2012 expenditures | Nonprofit employment, Q2 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle | 2,794 | $13,716,153,865 | 121,413 jobs; 13.27% |
| Piedmont Triad | 1,791 | $10,709,425,498 | 72,504 jobs; 10.71% |
| Charlotte | 2,247 | $4,651,565,375 | 59,507 jobs; 5.65% |
| Western North Carolina | 1,634 | $3,961,915,988 | 43,518 jobs; 11.35% |
| Eastern North Carolina | 882 | $2,958,780,853 | 32,866 jobs; 8.81% |
| Southeastern North Carolina | 864 | $2,129,117,460 | Not supplied |
The regional comparisons combine FY 2012 expenditure data with Q2 2013 employment data. They show differences in nonprofit footprint and employment concentration, but they are not a current ranking of regions and do not measure organizational effectiveness.
County-level presence and employment
County data add local detail to the regional picture. Buncombe County had 449 covered 501(c)(3) nonprofits and $1,781,530,053 in total nonprofit expenditures in FY 2012. In Q2 2013, nonprofit employment totaled 16,196 jobs, equal to 13.83% of county employment. This provides a historical view of the nonprofit sector’s role in the community around Asheville.
Mecklenburg County had 1,121 covered nonprofits and $3,104,239,444 in expenditures in FY 2012. Its 30,080 nonprofit jobs represented 5.16% of county employment in Q2 2013. Wake County had 1,370 covered nonprofits and $3,754,102,251 in expenditures in FY 2012.
Durham County had 485 covered nonprofits and $8,209,522,001 in expenditures. Its 42,373 nonprofit jobs represented 22.96% of county employment in Q2 2013. Forsyth County had 491 covered nonprofits and $6,638,097,813 in expenditures, while its 32,987 nonprofit jobs equaled 18.89% of county employment.
Orange County’s nonprofit employment totaled 29,808 jobs in Q2 2013, equal to 46.59% of county employment. The supplied county figures do not include an organization count or expenditure total for Orange County. Pitt County had 177 covered nonprofits and $1,781,095,538 in expenditures in FY 2012.
These county measures should not be read as direct measures of local nonprofit density or current capacity. Expenditure totals can include large institutions, and employment shares reflect the report’s county-employment denominator. The report’s coverage also focuses on 501(c)(3) organizations filing Form 990 or 990-EZ and generally excludes congregations not required to file.
Volunteers and charitable giving
Paid employment was only one part of nonprofit participation. In 2013, North Carolina nonprofits engaged more than 2.5 million volunteers each year. Those volunteers represented 26.4% of the state’s population and contributed 228.6 million hours of work annually. The report valued that scale in workforce terms as 109,903 full-time-equivalent employees.
The report described paid and unpaid nonprofit work together as involving about 3 million North Carolinians in 2013. That measure combines the report’s employment and volunteer perspectives; it is not a headcount of unique people independently verified across both groups.
Charitable giving data also show participation across income groups. In 2012, North Carolina itemizing taxpayers gave an average of $1,323 to nonprofits. That average contribution equaled 2.5% of their total income and exceeded the national average of $1,024. For non-itemizer individuals and families receiving the charitable-contribution credit in 2009, more than 70% had adjusted gross incomes below $40,000.
The giving figures cover specific taxpayer groups and years. The $1,323 average does not represent every North Carolina household, and the non-itemizer statistic concerns people receiving the charitable-contribution credit rather than all non-itemizers.
Demand, capacity, and operating pressure
The report’s 2014 survey captured a sector facing increased demand. Seventy-eight percent of North Carolina nonprofits said they experienced increased demand for services in 2014. At the same time, 60% said they could not meet that increased demand. Two out of five nonprofits, or 40%, expected the 2014 financial outlook to become harder for the communities they served, while 46% said their organizations’ financial outlook was getting worse.
Funding conditions added another constraint. North Carolina state agencies paid nonprofits more than one month late about 50% of the time for work performed for the state in 2013. State grants to nonprofits in 2012-13 were almost exactly the same dollar amount as in 2003-04. After adjusting for inflation and population growth, those state grants fell 40% over that period.
Collaboration was common amid these pressures. More than half of North Carolina nonprofits, 57%, said they collaborated with another organization to improve or expand services in 2014. That finding identifies collaboration as a reported operating practice, not proof that every partnership produced the same result.
Taken together, the historical figures describe a large and varied nonprofit sector: thousands of reporting organizations, hundreds of thousands of jobs, millions of volunteers, and major regional differences in employment and spending. They also show why community leadership requires attention to both nonprofit contribution and nonprofit capacity. The report’s dates, filing-based coverage, and exclusion of some congregations mean these statistics are best used as a documented baseline for the period measured, rather than as a current statewide census.