A smaller share makes goods.

• Position: Western - Brief article

The Western North Carolina Vitality Index, released in June, reports on the natural, social, built and economic environments in 26 counties. It found, among other things, that while the portion of the goods-production work-force in the state and region is higher than in the nation, those leads have shrunk during the past 20 years. The study came to this conclusion by using an economic measure called a location quotient, which in North Carolina is 1.15--meaning its portion of employment in...