North Carolina may be a great place to do business, but according to a new ranking, things aren’t quite as rosy for the people working there. The state has been named the worst in the country for workers, and judging by the reaction from locals, plenty of people aren’t surprised.
The ranking comes from Oxfam America’s latest 2026 Best States to Work Index, which specifically looks at policies affecting wages, worker protections, and the right to organize. North Carolina finished at the very bottom of the list, ranking 52nd behind every other state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Digging a little deeper, there are several reasons why North Carolina scored so poorly. The state’s minimum wage remains at $7.25 an hour, while workers also lack statewide guarantees for things like paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave. North Carolina’s laws surrounding unions and collective bargaining also played a role in its low ranking.
What makes the ranking particularly interesting, however, is North Carolina’s reputation as a great place to do business. The state has regularly performed well in national business rankings, creating a noticeable contrast between how attractive North Carolina can be for companies and what the latest Oxfam index suggests about conditions for the people working for them.
North Carolina Workers Share Their Experiences
That contrast certainly wasn’t lost on North Carolina residents. Reacting to the ranking on Reddit, one person summed up their feelings rather bluntly: “Great for employers, terrible for employees.” Another made a similar point, writing, “There’s a reason we’re first for business,” while someone else argued, “Best states for business to operate in are the worst to work in.”
For others, though, the discussion was much more personal. One lifelong North Carolina resident said they had worked at the same place for a decade with “No insurance, no vacation, no pto, no benefits at all.” They added that they were now considering taking a lower-paying job just to get health insurance, concluding, “Working in NC does indeed suck.”
Another commenter shared their family’s experience after moving to the state, explaining that his wife had worked as a teacher before she “quit to go work at Gamestop for higher pay per hour worked and more respect from management.”
Ultimately, rankings only tell a part of the story, but the experiences being shared by North Carolina workers give these numbers a much more personal meaning. For locals dealing with low wages, limited benefits, or difficult working conditions firsthand, the state’s last-place finish is clearly about much more than where North Carolina sits on a list.
