North Carolina
The Impact Project synthesizes publicly available data about the impacts of government change.
State Dashboards provide a snapshot of impacts to states, including the size of the federal workforce, federal dollars, a profile of probationary workers, and impacts to federal programs.
Dashboards will change as the data does, and you may find areas that need updating. Please reach out via [email protected] if you would like to support our work, share data, or provide feedback.
Click here to download state data.
Federal Workforce in North Carolina
Total Workforce
5,231,496
Federal Workforce
51,013
Probationary Federal Workforce
1,527
Sources: OPM.gov (Mar. '24); Census.gov (Dec '24); BLS.gov (Feb. '24)
Federal Funding & State Revenue
Historically, federal dollars have accounted for about a quarter to a third of state revenue. The COVID-19 Pandemic increased those numbers. Approximately 32.84% of the State's 2019 budget came from federal funding, and 38.56% of 2022's budget.
Sources: Pew Trusts; Census.gov; NBER.gov
Summary of State Dots
| Action | North Carolina Stories |
|---|---|
| Defense | 21 |
| Economy & Employment | 15 |
| Education | 38 |
| Emergency Services, Public Safety & Law Enforcement | 10 |
| Energy | 10 |
| Food & Agriculture | 16 |
| Housing | 6 |
| Humanities & the Arts | 2 |
| Immigration | 1 |
| Infrastructure | 6 |
| International Development | 69 |
| Natural Resources, Environment & Public Lands | 30 |
| Overarching | 36 |
| Public Health & Healthcare | 56 |
| Research & Academic Research | 21 |
| Social Services | 19 |
| Total | 356 |
Sources: theimpactproject.org
Last Updated: 4/21/2025
DOGE Data Summary
According to DOGE data, 55 contracts, 136 grants and 16 leases have been terminated in North Carolina.
Source: https://doge.gov/savings
Top Federal Occupations in North Carolina
This table provides a snapshot of federal occupations in this state. Click here for descriptions of these occupations.
Probationary employees include those employed by a federal agency for a year or less by March, 2024. For some agencies, the probationary period last longer (2-3yrs). In most cases, the probationary period restarts when a worker is promoted.
| Occupation | Total Employees | Probationary Employees |
|---|---|---|
| NURSE | 4461 | 534 |
| MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATION AND PROGRAM | 2407 | 132 |
| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT | 1938 | 137 |
| MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANCE | 1917 | 384 |
| MEDICAL OFFICER | 1313 | 125 |
| MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYSIS | 1292 | 61 |
| MISCELLANEOUS CLERK AND ASSISTANT | 1226 | 202 |
| HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT | 1076 | 79 |
| VETERANS CLAIMS EXAMINING | 847 | 115 |
| LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT | 836 | 62 |
Sources: OPM.gov (2024)
Top Federal Employers in State
| State | Agency | Non-probationary | Probationary | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | Department Of Veterans Affairs | 14575 | 2441 | 17016 |
| NC | Department Of The Army | 6841 | 700 | 7541 |
| NC | Department Of The Navy | 6403 | 587 | 6990 |
| NC | Department Of Defense | 5159 | 873 | 6032 |
| NC | Department Of Agriculture | 1978 | 264 | 2242 |
Sources: OPM.gov
Impacted Funding for Food Programs
This summarizes cuts from only a few of the food-related programs impacted by funding changes since January 2025.
The LFS program awards money to states to buy local foods for schools and childcare institutions, and the LFPA program provides funding for state, tribal and territorial governments to buy food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destinations. Both programs have been cancelled.
| State, Tribe, or Territory | Local Food for Schools (FY25) | Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement (FY25) |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | $18,975,621 | $11,424,325 |
Source: https://www.usaspending.gov/
Top 5 Counties with Federal Workers
| County | Federal Employees |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 15268 |
| Onslow County | 6507 |
| Durham County | 6449 |
| Wake County | 6279 |
| Craven | 5734 |
Sources: BLS.gov
Potentially Impacted Federal Programs
North Carolina administers several federally supported social programs that significantly impact the lives of its residents. These programs address a range of needs, including healthcare, nutrition, financial assistance, and early childhood education. Examples include:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Head Start and Early Head Start Programs
- Smart Start
- Research Funding
Due to federal budget cuts in 2025, some of these programs have already been impacted, and others may be impacted in the future.
State Map
- Rural Counties
- Indigenous Lands
- Majority Non-White
- Poverty Rate >= 20%
- 0 - 4,000
- 4,000 - 7,000
- 7,000 - 10,000
- 10,000 - 15,000
- 15,000 - 25,000
- 25,000 - 35,000
- 35,000 - 50,000
- >50,000
- 0 - 50
- 50 - 100
- 100 - 250
- 250 - 500
- 500 - 1,000
- 1,000 - 5,000
- 5,000 - 10,000
- >10,000
- Statewide Impact
- Location-Specific
Future Analysis
Check back for deeper dives into this data, including consideration of these questions:
- How do these changes impact local and state economies?
- How are local and state governments, NGOs, and businesses responding to federal changes? What gaps are they filling, and what gaps remain?
- How is federal government change evolving over time?
Download Full Data Set
Access a comprehensive Excel file containing all the data shown on this page. This downloadable resource is ideal for further analysis, reporting, or presentations.
“For the federal government to unilaterally change the terms of existing contracts has the potential to cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, which could mean halting clinical trials, disrupting research, closing labs, laying off scientists. It could be a real blow to the economy here and to the long-term health and wellbeing of Americans. I mean, there’s cutting edge cancer research being done, vaccine research being done, research that will make a difference in people’s life and wellbeing for decades into the future.” - Anonymous