Energy Resources

Economic Development

The goals of Economic Development are to create a higher profile for the region by raising awareness of its many benefits, generate interest among businesses planning to relocate or expand, and focus on the retention of existing businesses by creating a climate that encourages growth and expansion.

Click Here for a detailed breakdown of Rocky Mount demographics.

Education

Rocky Mount provides a variety of options to prepare and enrich minds of all ages for the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow. Students at all levels have access to public and private learning options. Recent investments in distance education make it possible for those seeking higher education to earn degrees at top state institutions without ever leaving town.

Public Schools (K-12)

Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools serves approximately 18,000 students a year on 28 campuses across a 591 square mile area that includes Nash County, the City of Rocky Mount, and parts of Edgecombe County.

The following public schools are located within the City of Rocky Mount:

Benvenue Elementary
2700 Nicodemus Mile Rd, Rocky Mount

Englewood Elementary
101 S Englewood Dr.Rocky Mount

M.B. Hubbard Elementary
7921 Red Oak-Battleboro Road, Battleboro

    1. S. Johnson Elementary
      600 N. Fairview Rd.Rocky Mount
    2. R. Pope Elementary
      226 Coleman Ave, Rocky Mount

Williford Elementary
801 Williford St, Rocky Mount

Winstead Avenue Elementary
991 S. Winstead Ave, Rocky Mount

Fairview Early Childhood Center
720 N Fairview Rd, Rocky Mount

George R. Edwards Middle
720 Edwards St, Rocky Mount

Joseph W. Parker Middle
1500 E Virginia St, Rocky Mount

Nash Central High
4279 Nash Central High Rd, Rocky Mount

Northern Nash High
4230 Green Hill Rd, Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount High
308 S Tillery St, Rocky Mount

NRMPS Early College
530 N Old Carriage Rd, Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount Preparatory School (Charter, K-12)
3334 Bishop Rd, Rocky Mount

Rocky Mount Preparatory School is a public, K-12 charter school designed to prepare students for the rigors and opportunities of a college education through a challenging, demanding, and rewarding curriculum.

Private Schools (K-12)

More than 1,000 children in Rocky Mount attend one of the following eight private schools.

Cornerstone Christian Academy
1481 Beechwood Dr, Rocky Mount
K-10/Religious

Englewood Baptist Weekday School
1350 S Winstead Ave, Rocky Mount
K/Religious

Faith Christian School
1333 Faith Christian Dr, Rocky Mount
K-12/Religious

Falls Road Baptist Church School
113 Trevathan St, Rocky Mount
K-12/Religious

First Methodist Kindergarten
110 S Church St, Rocky Mount
K/Religious

Mt. Zion Christian Academy
100 SW Main St, Rocky Mount
K-4/Religious

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School
315 Hammond St, Rocky Mount
Pre-K-8/Religious

Rocky Mount Academy
1313 Avondale Ave, Rocky Mount
K-12/Independent

K-12 Student Performance

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction maintains an online database for public education performance information by individual school and district. The following are links to the most current (2007-2008) school year statistics for public schools in Rocky Mount.

Homeschooling

Approximately 1,000 children are home schooled in Nash and Edgecombe Counties. Hundreds of these children share resources and participate in joint activities through the Christian Homeschool Association of Rocky Mount (CHARM).

Community Colleges

North Carolina has 58 public community colleges that serve as valuable local resources, providing students the skills and knowledge they need to achieve success in technical careers and in higher levels of collegiate education. Rocky Mount is served by both Nash Community College and Edgecombe Community College, which have a combined enrollment of more than 20,000 in curriculum and continuing education programs.

Four-Year Colleges & Universities

Rocky Mount is home to North Carolina Wesleyan College, a private four-year liberal arts institution that offers Bachelor Degree study in dozens of subjects. North Carolina Wesleyan is home to approximately 700 full-time at its main campus on US 301 north of Downtown Rocky Mount, with an additional 900 students participating in part-time and evening programs offered in Rocky Mount and surrounding area. Shaw University, a private institution of undergraduate and graduate study based in Raleigh, also operates a remote campus in Rocky Mount as part of its College of Adult and Professional Education (CAPE). This facility is located at 605 Sunset Avenue near Downtown Rocky Mount.

Gateway Technology Center

The Gateway Technology Center (GTC) is an innovative facility designed to facilitate access to higher education for adults in the Rocky Mount area through distance learning opportunities. This 16,000 square foot facility, located on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College, contains classroom space, computing access, and other resources that any student needs to achieve success at the college level.

The GTC partners with East Carolina University and North Carolina State University to offer onsite courses in several academic subjects so students can attend and earn degrees while never having to leave the Rocky Mount area for their studies.

Industry

Over the past 20 years, North Carolina has transitioned from a traditional economy based on tobacco, furniture and textiles to a global economy that is driven by knowledge-based enterprises, including advanced manufacturing, software and information technology, bio-pharmaceuticals and financial services. The Rocky Mount area continues to attract many of these new and technologically advanced industries. However, older, established industries, including textiles and agriculture, continue to thrive in the area. Agriculture contributes greatly to the area’s economy, especially tobacco. The area is also a top producer of cucumbers, sweet potatoes, poultry, peanuts, cotton and hogs.

View Industrial Composition

View Largest Employers by County

Incentives

The City works with several groups, including Carolinas Gateway Partnership, Golden Leaf Foundation, and the North Carolina Rural Center, to secure incentive funding for businesses interested in locating operations in Rocky Mount. For more information, contact the Carolinas Gateway Partnership. For downtown-specific incentive information, visit downtownrockymount.com

Labor

The Rocky Mount area possesses a workforce of approximately 135,000 individuals capable of achieving extraordinary results for any industry. Our close proximity to Raleigh/Durham and Greenville often brings those working in these areas to Rocky Mount for our quiet lifestyle setting. These same transplants soon learn how they can enjoy the tranquility of our community while staying close to home, either working for an existing business or venturing out on their own. Learn more

Wages

Rocky Mount has an available workforce for businesses of any size or composition. Local wages are very competitive, while our low comparable cost of living enables local workers retain their purchasing power over time. Learn more

Partnerships

Rocky Mount residents and businesses benefit from a collaborate environment made possible through formal partnerships between development-focused organizations, private citizens, and local government. The City of Rocky Mount support several critical programs and initiatives intended to cultivate economic growth in many forms, from the arrival of new industrial operations to encouraging the establishment of new and expanded small businesses. The City’s partners include the following organizations:

Office of Business Recruitment

The Office of Business Recruitment is a partnership between the City with the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce to provide expansion and relocation evaluation to existing and emerging businesses with a focus on recruiting and encouraging new businesses. This office maintains a database that provides up-to-date information on what properties are available in the area and conducts identification of market needs and voids through research and identifying potential vendors and support services for existing businesses. Services include providing readily available statistical, demographic and economic information, relocation needs such as finding a site for building or locating or expanding an existing building, as well as information on the City’s policies and procedures. This division also connects with many other divisions within the Chamber, Business Development, Education Division, Community Development, Work First and Travel and Tourism that all compliment each other in the role of assisting small business development. Business Recruitment provides consultation and referral to all new and existing entrepreneurs. For an appointment, contact amatthews@rockymountchamber.org or call (252) 973-1213.

Rocky Mount Edgecombe CDC

The Rocky Mount Edgecombe CDC works with the City to promote business development in disadvantaged areas of the City. Current CDC projects include business incubators at Harambee Square and Fountain Industrial Park and the Crossing @64 retail shopping center development.

Utility Services

The city of Rocky Mount operates a public utilities system with over 31,000 customers in Nash and Edgecombe counties receiving electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater (sewer), refuse, recycling and/or stormwater services. As a publicly-owned utility, the city of Rocky Mount is committed to safe, reliable service for its customers. There are many benefits of being publicly-owned, including:

    • Quick responses to outages

    • Excellent customer service

    • Employees who live in the community they serve

    • Competitive rates set by officials who live and work in the community