1. How has the industry grown and changed?
Textiles in NC
How has the industry grown and changed?

2. Major Part of the NC Economy
The textile industry has traditionally held a fundamental role in North Carolina's economy, providing thousands of jobs and revenue for local economies.
Textiles are defined as the creation of fabric or cloth out of original fibers, using mechanical or chemical processes.

3. A Brief History
First cotton textile mill located in Lincoln county on the Catawba River.
Factories converted to steam power run by coal to provide a steadier, inexpensive source of power for machinery.
1890 NC had 91 mills in operation.
Children make up large percentage of the work force
1914 NC had 293 mills; value of all textile production: $90.7 million.

4. A Brief History Cont’d
1921 NC had 343 mills (impact of WWI); value of all textile production $190.9 million
2000 NC had 802 firms; 126 multi-plant firms
In 2012 NC exported an estimated $2.3 billion in textiles.

5. Mills at Risk of Closing
Textile plants are closing as jobs are being sent overseas to be completed at a lower cost
In % of NC jobs were in Textiles.
By 2009 the number had dropped to 1.1%
Nationally about 650 textile plants closed between 1997 and 2009, draining thousands of jobs and depressing communities.
However, there is hope...Rising wages in China and
other countries has caused some manufacturers to
return to NC