Vital signs.

• Position: Air passenger, Employment, Tax collection - Statistical table

47% Percentage of North Carolina residents who said they are better off financially than a year ago, according to the results of a High Point University poll in February. The figure was 31% in February 2014.

N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY INDEX OF ECONOMIC INDICATORS

The index, a comparison of the state economy from month to month created by N.C. State economist Michael Walden, is calculated from the Economic Cycle Research Institute's Weekly Leading Index, North Carolina initial claims for unemployment benefits, North Carolina building permits and average weekly work hours and earnings for Tar Heel manufacturing workers. Raw data, which is seasonally adjusted, comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.

Change Latest Previous Previous from month month year last year EMPLOYMENT (000s) Employed 4,397.9 4,375.3 4,332.1 1.5% Civilian labor force 4,646.8 4,625.3 4,638.1 0.2 Manufacturing 458.6 451.6 442.1 3.7 Service 3,551.8 3,575.7 3,469.7 2.4 Government 713.8 714.3 716.2 (0.3) Unemployed 248.9 250.0 306.0 (18.7) Avg. manufacturing 42.5 43.4 41.5 2.4% workweek (hours) Avg. hourly production $16.88 $16.73 $16.75 0.8 wage Latest Previous Previous Change month month year from last year TAXABLE RETAIL SALES (1) ($000s) Alamance 210,777.4 171,866.1 190,938.0 10.4% Buncombe 446,527.1 359,590.2 386,978.6 15.4 Cabarrus 290,338.3 233,139.2 281,660.2 3.1 Catawba 201,265.1 159,870.3 198,475.9 1.4 Cumberland 362,569.3 302,642.4 363,955.6 (0.4) Durham 597,820.1 521,947.6 556,471.1 7.4 Forsyth 458,149.5 372,767.9 435,985.6 5.1 Gaston 182,802.7 146,626.6 171,735.7 6.4 Guilford 720,755.0 513,925.1 587,829.6 22.6 Iredell 193,929.8 156,849.2 177,808.5 9.1 Mecklenburg 1,681,420.9 1,460,504.4 1,691,967.3 (0.6) New Hanover 353,487.5 285,572.1 320,755.5 10.2 Onslow 173,900.0 154,649.6 185,220.8 (6.1) Pitt 199,011.5 173,032.4 187,540.6 6.1 Wake 1,289,955.0 1,078,280.9 1,241,173.9 3.9 Latest Previous Previous Change month month year from last year AIR...