economy

County business growth declines for 2025 in at least one category measured by the state 17.3% downturn ends a decade of fairly steady increase in new and renewed business licensing issued in Cherokee by North Carolina’s Secretary of State A business slump hit Cherokee County in 2025 sending overall growth down 17.3 percent for 2025 over a year earlier, with local business filings at the North Carolina Secretary of State dropping to 248 for the year from 300 filings in 2024. But for those of you who read that as bad news, take heart: During the past decade, business activity in the county marched almost steadily upward to show a 105 percent increase in 2025 over 2016 — even with the 17-plus percent drop in … Read more