NC H548

Appropriates $200,000 annually from the General Fund to the Department of Commerce for the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium to conduct biannual analyses of economic progress in North Carolina

Requires the Department to report findings to the General Assembly by January 31 of every odd-numbered year, using publicly available data and interviews with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds

Mandates measurement of hardship indicators at both state and county levels, including poverty rate, child poverty, deep poverty, inequality, and supplemental poverty rate

Requires tracking of job quality metrics (jobs paying below living wage, jobs providing benefits), household cost burdens for food, housing, health care, and childcare, and postsecondary education affordability relative to income

Becomes effective July 1, 2025