Counties think globally, act locally.

• Position: Statewide - Statistical data

China's exports to North Carolina were worth far more than any other country's last year, making up 19.4% of the $47.8 billion of foreign goods and services entering the state. But Ireland, whose economy is struggling, is a corner. Since 2009, its exports have increased 729.4%, moving the Emerald Isle past Japan as the state's fifth-highest importer. A spokeswoman for Enterprise Ireland, a government agency that promotes Irish commerce around the world, says the improvement is due to a concerted effort to reach the Southeastern United States. That strategy was bolstered last September when the Irish minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation led a trade delegation to this part of the country, making stops in Charlotte and Raleigh.

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NO. OF COMPANIES IMPORTING TOP Mecklenburg 1,482 Guilford 1,001 Wake 677 Forsyth 303 Catawba 275 Buncombe 223 Durham 220 Iredell 208 Gaston 191 New Hanover 191 BOTTOM Jones 3 Tyrrell 3 Warren 3 Camden 2 Swain 2 Washington 2 Graham 1 Gates 0 Pamlico 0 Perquimans 0 TOTAL VALUE OF IMPORTS (SM) TOP Mecklenburg $3,684.8 Guilford 2,232.1 Forsyth 1,661.4 Wake 1,058.5 Catawba 592.3 Durham 527.3 Union 383.1 Lee 379.1 New Hanover 332.6 Gaston 317.6 BOTTOM Warren $0.026 Polk County 0.009 Camden 0 Gates 0 Graham 0 Greene 0 Hyde 0 Pamlico 0 Perquimans 0 Yancey 0 COUNTY INDEX

1. Alamance

2. Alexander

3. Alleghany

4. Anson

5. Ashe

6. Avery

7. Beaufort

8. Bertie

9. Bladen

10. Brunswick

11. Buncombe

12. Burke

13. Cabarrus

14. Caldwell

15. Camden

16. Carteret

17. Caswell

18. Catawba

19. Chatham

20. Cherokee

21. Chowan

22. Clay

23. Cleveland

24. Columbus

25. Craven

26. Cumberland

27. Currituck

28. Dare

29. Davidson

30. Davie

31. Duplin

32. Durham

33. Edgecombe

34. Forsyth

35. Franklin

36. Gaston

37. Gates

38. Graham

39. Granville

40. Greene

41. Guilford

42. Halifax

43. Harnett

44. Haywood

45. Henderson

46. Hertford

47. Hoke

48. Hyde

49. Iredell

50. Jackson

51. Johnston

52. Jones

53. Lee

54. Lenoir

55. Lincoln

56. Macon

57. Madison

58. Martin

59. McDowell

60. Mecklenburg

61. Mitchell

62. Montgomery

63. Moore

64. Nash

65. New Hanover

66. Northampton

67. Onslow

68. Orange

69. Pamlico

70. Pasquotank

71. Pender

72. Perquimans

73. Person

74. Pitt

75. Polk

76. Randolph

77. Richmond

78. Robeson

79. Rockingham

80. Rowan

81. Rutherford

82. Sampson

83. Scotland

84. Stanly

85. Stokes

86. Surry

87. Swain

88. Transylvania

89. Tyrrell

90. Union

91. Vance

92. Wake

93. Warren

94. Washington

95. Watauga

96. Wayne

97. Wilkes

98. Wilson

99. Yadkin

100. Yancey