Jobs & Economy in High Point
High Point's economy runs on two genuinely distinct, verifiable anchors -- the High Point Market furniture trade show and High Point University -- layered on top of a real, if smaller than historically, furniture-manufacturing employment base and a broader healthcare and retail sector.
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Learn moreThe High Point Market: a real, large, twice-yearly economic event
The High Point Market Authority cites the event's annual economic impact to North Carolina at $6.73 billion, including $202 million in state and local tax revenue -- a statewide, not purely city-level, figure. Independently corroborated facts on scale: roughly 75,000 attendees per show (a 70,000-80,000 range across sources) from over 100 countries, more than 2,000 exhibitors, about 11 million square feet of exhibition space across roughly 180 buildings, twice yearly (April and October) -- described by multiple independent sources as the largest furniture trade show in the world. The dollar-impact figures trace to the Market Authority's own reporting and a legislative staff memo (both real and current, but not a fully independent third-party audit) -- disclosed as such.
High Point University: a fast-growing, genuinely verifiable local employer and economic engine
HPU opened the 2026-27 academic year with a record 6,561 students, the largest enrollment in the university's 102-year history, continuing unbroken annual growth since Dr. Nido Qubein became president in 2005 (up more than 5,000 students over that span). The university's own materials cite an $850 million annual local economic impact -- a university-sourced figure, not independently audited this session, but grounded in real, verifiable, sustained enrollment and campus-investment growth.
Furniture manufacturing remains real, if smaller-scale than its historical peak
Manufacturing is High Point's largest employment sector (8,571 workers cited), ahead of health care & social assistance (7,642) and retail trade (5,636). Real furniture manufacturers still operate in and around High Point (e.g., DARRAN Furniture, Thomasville-Dexel, Hancock & Moore, Marsh Furniture Company) -- furniture manufacturing jobs are cited paying an average of roughly $15.53/hour as of mid-2026, a modest wage level consistent with the city's below-national-median household income.
Employment growth and unemployment: a real, if disclosed-with-gaps, picture
City-level employment grew about 2.35% from 2023 to 2024 (53.8K to 55.1K employees). Unemployment readings vary by geography and source: a city-level figure around 5.03% was cited without a fully documented methodology (low confidence), while the broader Greensboro-High Point MSA rate was 4.3% in December 2025 -- both run somewhat above the most favorable recent national readings. This gap between city and MSA figures, and the lower confidence on the city-specific number, is disclosed rather than resolved to one figure.
Key takeaways
- The High Point Market Authority cites $6.73B in annual NC economic impact and $202M in state/local tax revenue for the twice-yearly (April/October) High Point Market -- a statewide figure from an interested party, though the event's real scale (~75,000 attendees/show, 2,000+ exhibitors, ~11M sq ft) is independently corroborated as the world's largest furniture trade show.
- High Point University opened 2026-27 with a record 6,561 students (largest in its 102-year history, unbroken growth since 2005) and cites an $850M annual local economic impact in its own materials.
- Manufacturing is High Point's largest employment sector (8,571 workers), with real furniture manufacturers still operating locally (DARRAN, Thomasville-Dexel, Hancock & Moore, Marsh) -- furniture-manufacturing wages average around $15.53/hour, consistent with the city's below-median household income.
- City-level employment grew ~2.35% (2023-2024); unemployment readings vary by geography -- a low-confidence city figure of ~5.03% vs. a better-sourced Greensboro-High Point MSA rate of 4.3% (Dec. 2025), both somewhat elevated versus the most favorable recent national readings.
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