Twenty-eight counties had their Tier designation adjusted for 2019, Wilkes County remains a Tier 2. The ranking is compiled annually for the state’s 100 counties. The 40 most distressed counties are designated as Tier 1, the next 40 as Tier 2 and the 20 least distressed as Tier 3. This system is used when communities apply for state grant funding to encourage growth in economically distressed areas.
