Hmong-Owned Businesses in North Carolina

There are approximately 13,595 Hmong residents in North Carolina. The state's primary hub is Catawba County, especially Newton, Hickory, and Maiden. Hickory's 28601 ZIP code has approximately 1,885 Hmong residents, while Maiden has about 274. Burke County is an adjacent concentration. Hmong communities are also active or growing in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and the Triad, and the Raleigh–Durham–Chapel Hill area. Congressional District 10 and North Carolina House District 96 data show the exceptional concentration around Hickory and Catawba County.

Hmong refugees began arriving in North Carolina in the late 1970s and early 1980s after the Vietnam War and Secret War in Laos, often through Lutheran, Catholic, and other voluntary-agency sponsorship. During the 1980s and 1990s, secondary migration brought families to the Hickory area for textile and furniture manufacturing jobs. The established community then became a magnet for relatives and additional families through chain migration.

The community's economic story began strongly in textile mills and furniture factories, especially around Hickory's historic furniture industry. Today it is more diversified across manufacturing, healthcare, professional fields, small businesses, Asian markets, restaurants, farms, and flower growers. Some families continue agricultural traditions while building businesses that serve both Hmong customers and the wider region.