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Growth in the Triangle cools slightly but still among nation's fastest

Immigration across the country slowed down in the first year of the Trump administration

News

Population growth is slowing in most counties nationwide amid a massive drop in immigration, new U.S. Census data shows.<ul><li>But that isn&#x27;t stopping the Triangle from still being among the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fastest-growing areas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/03/13/raleigh-durham-population-growth-census-immigrants" data-vars-content-id="7f345a6e-a50f-44b0-a890-6fedede25457" data-vars-headline="Growth in the Triangle cools slightly but still among nation&#x27;s fastest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/03/13/raleigh-durham-population-growth-census-immigrants" target="_self">fastest-growing areas</a> in the country. </li></ul>Why it matters: The new data offers the best look yet at how tighter immigration enforcement is affecting America&#x27;s demographic makeup, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick writes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/26/county-population-growth-immigration" data-vars-content-id="7f345a6e-a50f-44b0-a890-6fedede25457" data-vars-headline="Growth in the Triangle cools slightly but still among nation&#x27;s fastest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/26/county-population-growth-immigration" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick writes</a>.

Rocky Mount nears rare state financial takeover

Late audits and overspending pushed the city toward insolvency, triggering a final warning from state officials.

Politics

Rocky Mount is at risk of a rare state takeover of its finances after years of overspending and missed audits pushed the city toward insolvency.Why it matters: State takeovers are extremely rare. It&#x27;s only ever happened to 12 local governments, and they&#x27;re all far smaller than <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Rocky Mount" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/03/17/where-president-trump-jd-vance-have-been-north-carolina" data-vars-content-id="1433d93a-bdd2-464e-80fb-9cfd9a1350eb" data-vars-headline="Rocky Mount nears rare state financial takeover" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/03/17/where-president-trump-jd-vance-have-been-north-carolina" target="_self">Rocky Mount</a>, a city of around 55,000 about 60 miles east of Raleigh.

Jean's By The Sea brings a new laid-back seafood joint to Durham

The menu jumps from Calabash-style fried baskets and shrimp rolls to raw oysters and crudo.

Food and Drink

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jean&#x27;s By The Sea" data-vars-click-url="https://www.jeansbythesea.com/" data-vars-content-id="7c618f05-bfcf-49bc-a944-baa62c620741" data-vars-headline="Jean&#x27;s By The Sea brings a new laid-back seafood joint to Durham" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.jeansbythesea.com/" target="_blank">Jean&#x27;s By The Sea</a>, a loving ode to the fish shacks of the coast, is providing a fresh injection of shellfish and seafood into the Durham food scene. Zoom in: Jean&#x27;s, run by local wine and hospitality veteran <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Kate Elia" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/in-other-news-march-2026/" data-vars-content-id="7c618f05-bfcf-49bc-a944-baa62c620741" data-vars-headline="Jean&#x27;s By The Sea brings a new laid-back seafood joint to Durham" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/in-other-news-march-2026/" target="_blank">Kate Elia</a>, opened last month in a former Wimpy&#x27;s Grill location off Hillsborough Road in the Old West Durham neighborhood. <ul><li>The spot still retains the small and laid-back charm of a roadside grill, but offers ample outdoor seating and a beverage program that punches above its weight.</li></ul>

North Carolina's top court bows out of public school funding fight

The Leandro case decision comes at a time when North Carolina student performance is still recovering from sharp pandemic-era declines.

Education

The North Carolina Supreme Court has thrown out a $5.6 billion school funding plan put forward after a decades-long fight over public education spending. Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Leandro" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2022/11/14/a-massive-education-plan-that-could-transform-cms-hangs-in-the-balance-313318" data-vars-content-id="b1266f12-51a3-490c-952c-49e05bda2a72" data-vars-headline="North Carolina&#x27;s top court bows out of public school funding fight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2022/11/14/a-massive-education-plan-that-could-transform-cms-hangs-in-the-balance-313318" target="_self">Leandro</a> case decision comes at a time when North Carolina student performance is still recovering from sharp pandemic-era declines in math and reading proficiency. Funding per student <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lags behind the national average" data-vars-click-url="https://www.wunc.org/2025-12-16/nc-ranks-dead-last-in-the-country-for-school-funding-effort-new-report-shows" data-vars-content-id="b1266f12-51a3-490c-952c-49e05bda2a72" data-vars-headline="North Carolina&#x27;s top court bows out of public school funding fight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.wunc.org/2025-12-16/nc-ranks-dead-last-in-the-country-for-school-funding-effort-new-report-shows" target="_blank">lags behind the national average</a>.

Direct flights from Raleigh

Direct flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Travel

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Raleigh-Durham International Airport" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/02/16/rdu-lands-federal-money-to-help-expand-security-line" data-vars-content-id="55cceb05-d387-4add-bb42-22a4dad49faa" data-vars-headline="Direct flights from Raleigh" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2024/02/16/rdu-lands-federal-money-to-help-expand-security-line" target="_self">Raleigh-Durham International Airport</a> is rapidly growing, with an expansion of Terminal 2 underway plus plans for more gates for planes and more parking for passengers.State of play: Sixteen carriers operate more than 350 daily flights through RDU, including a growing number of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="international options" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/09/14/rdu-nonstop-international-flights-paris-frankfurt-cancun-london" data-vars-content-id="55cceb05-d387-4add-bb42-22a4dad49faa" data-vars-headline="Direct flights from Raleigh" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2023/09/14/rdu-nonstop-international-flights-paris-frankfurt-cancun-london" target="_self">international options</a>.

Raleigh's highest paying industies are technology and pharmaceuticals

IT and biotech lead the way in pay in the Raleigh metro

Tech jobs offered the highest average salaries in the region last year, according to new data from Glassdoor. Why it matters: Software companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and biotechnology companies are leading the region&#x27;s growth.

Raleigh sees large drop in bicyclist fatalities

Raleigh had less than one bicycle crash death on average for every million of the city's residents over the 5-year period, down from 2.3 from 2012 to 2016 — a more than 60% drop.

Bicyclist fatalities in Raleigh have fallen significantly over the past decade, according to the League of American Bicyclists via National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — but there&#x27;s still much room for improvement when it comes to making the city friendlier to cyclists.<ul><li>Raleigh had less than one bicycle crash fatality on average for every million of the city&#x27;s residents between 2017 and 2021, down from 2.3 the previous five-year period — a more than 60% drop.</li></ul>

Raleigh's growing share of wealthy renters

Many would-be homebuyers are renting longer, incentivizing properties to compete for a growing cohort of high-income tenants..

Apartment developers looking to attract high-income renters say they’re thinking beyond gyms and pools when it comes to amenities.Why it matters: The push comes as many <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="would-be homebuyers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/22/mortgage-applications-plummet" data-vars-content-id="ac4cbc54-91de-4d7d-a4da-9901fbb0b3fd" data-vars-headline="Raleigh&#x27;s growing share of wealthy renters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/22/mortgage-applications-plummet" target="_self">would-be homebuyers</a> rent longer, incentivizing properties to compete for a growing cohort of high-income tenants.

Newcomers Guide

Direct flights from Raleigh

Raleigh's highest paying industies are technology and pharmaceuticals

Raleigh sees large drop in bicyclist fatalities

Raleigh's growing share of wealthy renters