Anson: Rural County, Metro Workforce

The U.S. Government officially lists the population of Anson County at 26,948. Many here believe that figure is a slight undercount, but even the most generous accounting puts our population somewhere around 30,000, making Anson the least populated county in the immediate Charlotte metro region. Being somewhat sparsely populated offers residents and businesses real advantages in terms of lower property costs, availability of land, abundance of resources and expedited zoning and permitting, but Anson's differentiating factor is that despite our rural population, we have an effective workforce that is as large as many of our metro neighbors.

All of our available industrial properties are within a 30 minute commute of at least 259,000 individuals and offer an effective workforce of at least 68,500. More than 30% of those potential employees have a degree or vocational certificate; workforce figures more typically associated with larger micropolitan or small metro regions. Even more telling, Anson County is currently a net exporter of talent, with approximately 3,500 leaving the county daily for jobs in neighboring communities. While the majority of those long-distance commuters are low-to-moderate-skill workers in the advanced metalworking, food & beverage processing and service industries, ten to fifteen percent are highly skilled professionals; engineers, accountants, medical technicians, nurses and business managers. In a survey conducted in 2015, 52% of employees who identified themselves as working outside the county said they would be willing to take a similar position at the same or lower pay if they could reduce their commute time to 30 minutes or less. That's a significant, available and untapped workforce for any company looking to locate in Anson County.

One of the key factors in our workforce mobility is the area's excellent road network, with two major highways running north-south (U.S. Hwy 52) and east-west (U.S. Hwy 74) through the respective centers of the county. All of the significant industrial properties currently listed in our database are within two miles of one of those roads, and the county's major population center, Wadesboro, is located at their intersection. Furthermore, unlike roads closer to center city Charlotte, our highways have not yet reached their maximum capacity, so there are rarely delays, and workers have a predictable and reliable commute time.

It would be a little bit cliche to say that Anson County is the "best of both worlds," but we undeniably offer all the cost advantages of a rural community along with a pool of potential employees that few rural counties can match. For a complete analysis of Anson County's available workforce and why our rural county with the metro workforce might be the perfect place to locate your business, visit our website, AnonEDP.com.