Building the Systems That Power North Carolina’s Economy
North Carolina’s continued economic growth depends on infrastructure systems capable of supporting a rapidly expanding population, evolving industries, and increasing business demand.
Infrastructure today extends far beyond transportation. Energy reliability, water and wastewater capacity, housing availability, supply chain resilience, broadband access, and site readiness are all increasingly central to North Carolina’s long-term competitiveness.
The NC Chamber works alongside business leaders, policymakers, utilities, infrastructure providers, and economic development partners to advance strategic investments and policy solutions that support growth, strengthen resilience, and position North Carolina for long-term success.
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Transportation & Supply Chain Infrastructure
North Carolina’s transportation and supply chain networks are critical to supporting economic growth, business investment, and one of the fastest-growing populations in the country.
The NC Chamber supports strategic, long-term infrastructure investments that strengthen mobility, improve freight and logistics efficiency, and help keep North Carolina competitive for future growth. Through coalition efforts like NC Can’t Afford to Wait, NC Can’t Afford to Stop, and Destination 2030, the NC Chamber has helped advance sustainable transportation funding and modernization strategies across the state.
That focus continues as ports, freight rail, aviation, logistics networks, and site readiness all play an increasingly important role in supporting North Carolina’s manufacturers, agricultural producers, retailers, and advanced industries.
Energy Infrastructure
Reliable, affordable energy is increasingly important to North Carolina’s economic future, particularly as advanced manufacturing, data centers, and industrial growth continue driving demand.
The NC Chamber supports an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy focused on reliability, affordability, grid modernization, and long-term capacity planning to help keep North Carolina competitive for future investment. That includes resources like natural gas, solar and other clean energy resources, as well as continued investment in our state’s existing nuclear fleet, along with the next generation of nuclear.
In 2025, the NC Chamber Foundation released North Carolina’s Business-Driven Energy Vision, which outlines North Carolina’s current energy landscape, the forces driving demand and the challenges ahead. The report distills input from business leaders across industries into clear priorities for ensuring reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy. Learn more.
Water Infrastructure
Water and wastewater infrastructure and availability play a critical role in business development and growth.
The NC Chamber Foundation’s Water Infrastructure Competitiveness Analysis highlights that the state’s ability to sustain growth will increasingly depend on how well it manages both the built and natural limits of its water systems. The analysis underscores the need for coordinated planning among policymakers, utilities, and industry to keep water a strategic advantage for North Carolina’s future.
Learn more about the report’s actionable recommendations.
Housing as Workforce Infrastructure
Housing availability and affordability have become critical infrastructure and workforce competitiveness issues.
Research commissioned by the NC Chamber Foundation and its partners found North Carolina faces a projected housing supply gap of more than 764,000 units over the next five years. The gap is expected to increase with projected job and population growth, and if addressed, could generate $489 billion in economic activity and nearly 2.2 million jobs.
The NC Chamber supports collaborative, market-driven approaches that expand housing supply and help communities keep pace with rapid population and job growth.
Learn more in the North Carolina Housing Supply Analysis and Economic Impact Report.
Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships
Public-private partnerships (P3s) will continue to play an important role in helping North Carolina address growing infrastructure needs.
Strategic collaboration between government and private-sector partners can help accelerate project delivery, expand investment capacity, improve innovation, and strengthen long-term infrastructure resilience across transportation, utilities, and community development. While North Carolina has raised its cap on P3s, which was supported by the NC Chamber, there is still room for this tool to bring new solutions to North Carolina’s infrastructure needs.
Learn more about public-private partnerships in infrastructure.
NC Infrastructure & Supply Chain Council
The Infrastructure and Supply Chain Council comprises of NC Chamber members and NC Chamber Foundation investors focused on addressing key issues in infrastructure and supply chain planning, development, strategy, investment, and policy in North Carolina. It is a collaborative platform with regular engagement for industry leaders, policymakers, and a wide range of stakeholders to discuss North Carolina’s infrastructure and supply chain future. Learn more about how to get engaged.
The Agenda
- Learn how the NC Chamber championed issues for North Carolina’s businesses in the latest edition of How They Voted.
- View our Legislative Agenda to learn how the NC Chamber will advance policies that strengthen North Carolina’s infrastructure capacity, economic competitiveness, energy reliability, housing supply, and long-term growth.
- Learn about our Building NC event, held yearly to connect industry leaders, policymakers, and visionaries driving innovation and forging the infrastructure future of North Carolina.
Join the Effort
Add your voice to the NC Chamber family and drive solutions that promote steady infrastructure investment in North Carolina: Explore membership opportunities with the NC Chamber today.