Governor Stein Kicks Off Rural Listening Tour

Today Governor Josh Stein kicked off his rural listening session series. He met with business leaders, local elected officials, and other leaders to hear their concerns and discuss priorities for strengthening their communities. Governor Stein also stopped by Flavors on Main in Marion to meet with the owners and learn about their experience.

“With more than 3.5 million people, North Carolina is home to the second-largest rural population in the country,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We have more work to do to expand opportunity to every corner of the state because if you work hard, where you come from should never limit how far you can go. I’m grateful to hear directly from some of our rural residents about how we can work together on the issues affecting their daily lives.”

The tour represents the Stein Administration’s whole-of-government approach to rural development. In the coming weeks and months, cabinet secretaries will host listening sessions across the state, focusing on health care, economic development and jobs, infrastructure, and more.  

Governor Stein is committed to investing in rural North Carolina and in all 100 counties. To learn about the Stein Administration’s statewide commitment, visit 100strong.nc.gov. 

Health Care 

In December, Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (NCDHHS) secured $213 million from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through the Rural Health Transformation Program to improve health care access for rural communities. These funds will support more than 400 rural health care facilities and invest in strengthening the rural health care workforce. In January, Governor Stein led a roundtable discussion in Clay County on how opioid settlement funds secured during his time as Attorney General are being used to support addiction treatment and recovery, especially in rural communities where opioid addiction has had a significant impact.  

Economic Development 

In 2025, more than $12.5 billion in investment and nearly 5,000 jobs were brought to rural North Carolina. Last month, North Carolina was named the 2025 State of the Year by Business Facilities Magazine for its efforts to prepare industrial sites for development through the Selectsite Readiness Program. In 2025, rural communities across the state were also awarded more than $136 million through the state rural grant programs to expand economic opportunity in these neighborhoods through housing and building revitalization, infrastructure upgrades, and business development. Earlier this year, Governor Stein visited Pitt County to learn how the town of Bethel is using $950,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to improve the town’s housing and public spaces.  

Infrastructure 

Last month, Governor Stein and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced more than $472 million in funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in 66 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. These funds will help support healthy cities and towns by upgrading aging water infrastructure to better withstand storms and improve communities’ drinking water systems. In December, Governor Stein also announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved North Carolina’s proposal to bring more than $300 million in high-speed internet projects to homes and communities across the state, primarily in rural areas, through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

Click here to learn more about upcoming rural listening sessions.

Click here to view “100 Counties Strong,” a dashboard highlighting how Governor Stein and his administration are investing in people and places across the state.