This week, the City of Greensboro’s Planning Department released a report on several key economic measures pertaining to the growth and development of the city, and it found that, after a record-breaking year for the total value of building permits in 2023, Greensboro continued to consistently reach a very high level of building and development review in 2024.
In a nutshell: Like it or not, Greensboro is growing like kudzu.
There is a housing shortage; there’s a lot more traffic than there was 20 years ago; and what was once farmland is being gobbled up in order to make room for shopping centers and residential developments.
The new report from the city gives insights on recent local, regional and national trends by following metrics such as population density, demographics, income rates and more.
According to the new report from the city:
- Employment figures are back to pre-pandemic levels.
- The average wage of workers in Greensboro continues to increase.
- Greensboro remains the third largest city in North Carolina.
City of Greensboro Planning Director Sue Schwartz summed up what the study revealed: “Greensboro is still seeing substantial growth throughout the city. “This brings with it some challenges in terms of housing choices, an issue we will continue to focus on.”
Regarding the new report, Schwartz asked a forward looking question: “We are getting the growth we have been planning for…now what?
She added, “When we first started publishing the Growth and Development Trends report over a decade ago, Greensboro was in much different economic shape. We were one of the first cities in the state to feel the effects of the Great Recession and one of the last to recover.”
Now, it’s a completely different story, she remarked, a story that’s reflected in the numbers of the report.
In 2025, Greensboro continues to see strong job growth and new industrial investment. Just about every other week now, a large company or business announces that it’s coming to Greensboro or the surrounding area or that it is expanding with a multimillion-dollar investment.
“We are still ‘GreensBooming!’” she stated in the introduction to the new report, which can be found on the city’s website.
Schwartz said that’s good but it brings a lot of challenges.
It’s good because it’s lowering the local unemployment rate and increasing the median household incomes of city residents. What’s not so good, however, is that according to a study commissioned by the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association, the increase in jobs in Greensboro and the larger region is creating “an unprecedented demand for housing.”
The report states that, in Guilford County alone, more than 32,000 new residential units will be needed to meet increasing demand within the next five years.
That number includes both single- and multi-family homes and it also includes housing across all price points.
For some perspective, she noted, in 2024 Greensboro approved permits for only 1,500 units.
“It is more than just building more houses,” Schwartz stated. “We also need to be intentional about where and how we grow and add new neighbors. As a community we need to get comfortable with gentle density increases, a greater variety of housing choices, and appropriate infill development. We need to address barriers to building housing without compromising the health, safety, and general welfare of the public.”
Local leaders say the issue needs to be tackled on multiple fronts – and state and federal help is needed.
Also, the building, development and real estate industries in Greensboro and Guilford County must remain focused on the housing issue.
Greensboro Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Christensen told the Rhino Times recently that it’s terrific that companies across the country are waking up and really paying attention to Greensboro and the surrounding area as a great place to open up shop.
When asked if there could be such a thing as “too much growth” – which can bring subsequent problems – Christensen told the Rhino Times that that’s why it’s important the area’s infrastructure grow to support new populations and new economic activities.
He said an influx of businesses and people means a need for new schools to handle the new students, better transportation infrastructure to handle more traffic, and the provision of enough housing to support the surge in population.
Well, Whaddaya Know? You let in 11 million illegal immigrants and you have more people to deal with. Imagine that!
I see a.lot of families in one room hotels paying over 800.00 for a room. They can’t afford the rent prices. So higher wages just doesn’t help when just a one room hotel room costs that much. That price only includes heat/air and you have to live there 6 months before you get the “deal” of 800.00.
So, the planning director saying, in response to an increase in growth, “We are getting the growth we have been planning for…now what?”
That is a question that should have been asked BEFORE enticing businesses here and increasing demand on housing and city services.
Sounds like poor planning to me; these demands on resources should have not only been addressed but proactively acted upon.
Result of a DIE hire? I don’t know but obviously the planning has fallen short.
If you want to look at the data and draw your own conclusions here is the link. Just not seeing the population as in other large NC cities. Look at the property tax comparison graph with other cities.
Be your own judge.
https://www.greensboro-nc.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/58187/638428293945300000
Thanks. The most striking thing to me was that in the ten year period analysed (2013-23), the white population of Greensboro fell from 50% to 40% – and that 40% now includes a 10 percentage point component of Hispanics, so European-Americans now constitute just 30% of Greensboro’s population.
Just 30% white.
Public administration jobs salaries up 11.2% versus all other jobs at 2.2 including an offseting -11% in agriculture , mining, fishing and logging. Public Administration is basically a cost center which is funded with tax payer $. That’s always been a big part of the problem and getting worse.