Affordability meets opportunity in Greenville-Pitt County, NC
A message from: Invest Greenville
Expensive metropolitan hubs like Boston aren't the only cities offering meaningful career growth for professionals in high-demand fields like life sciences and health care.
What you need to know: Greenville-Pitt County in North Carolina is home to a growing life sciences and health care ecosystem.
- Residents, many of them transplants from cities like Boston, enjoy well-paying career opportunities and a welcoming place to put down roots.
Why it's important: Where you live shapes more than your career. It affects:
- How far your paycheck goes.
- How you spend your time.
- The kind of home you can afford.
- The community you live in.
In other words: The region offers something increasingly valuable: the ability to build a career without sacrificing affordability or quality of life.
What's in it for you: For Bostonians accustomed to thinking of the city as the destination for life sciences careers, Greenville-Pitt County offers another option in eastern North Carolina.
- The Greenville metropolitan area has experienced 31.2% employment growth in life sciences over the past five years.
- Life science employment in the Greenville MSA is about 10 times more concentrated than the national average.
The details: The community is home to major employers and institutions, including:
- Thermo Fisher Scientific.
- Catalent.
- Nipro Medical.
- ECU Health.
- East Carolina University.
Here's what else: Beyond career opportunities, Greenville-Pitt County offers a more affordable lifestyle.
- Boston is twice as expensive overall compared to Greenville.
Key numbers:
- The cost of living index in Greenville is 79, compared to Boston's at 160.
- Greenville's housing costs are 49% below the U.S. average, while median home costs are 3.3 times higher in Boston.
- Annual rates for in-center childcare are nearly a third of the cost in Pitt County, NC, at $11,442, compared to $31,738 in Suffolk County, MA.
Plus: Greenville-Pitt County offers the amenities of a growing metropolis while maintaining the accessibility of a smaller community.
- Residents enjoy local restaurants and breweries, arts and entertainment, college athletics, outdoor recreation, parks and family-friendly activities.
Worth a mention: The area is also within reach of some of the state's most popular destinations.
- In about 90 minutes, travel west to Raleigh or head southeast for a day at the beach.
- Greenville also serves as a gateway to the famed Outer Banks.
The proof: Joffre and Samantha Alvarez moved from Boston to Greenville in 2022 after a life sciences career opportunity brought them to the region.
- "We were initially drawn to Greenville by a unique career opportunity, but it was the city's strong sense of community, affordability and quality of life that made us want to put down roots," said Joffre, a biomedical engineer and COO at a medical technology startup.
- Samantha added that Greenville has been an ideal place to raise their two sons, and the family enjoys local parks, restaurants, shops and community events.
The takeaway: Greenville-Pitt County gives professionals the opportunity to grow their careers while gaining the affordability, accessibility and quality of life that make a community feel like home.
Next steps: Imagine what your career and life could look like in Greenville-Pitt County.
- Explore Grow in Greenville for information about career opportunities, housing, quality of life and relocation.