The City of Lexington is centrally located in the "Piedmont Triad" region of North Carolina. Known as the "Barbecue Capital of the World," Lexington is a small city with big opportunities. Home to 177 manufacturing companies and a diverse array of local businesses, Lexington's future in economic development continues to flourish in alignment with the vision that we have for our city.

What's Happening in Lexington

Siemens Mobility

Siemens Mobility, the United States' largest passenger rolling stock manufacturer, has broken ground on their $220 million advanced manufacturing and rail services facility that is set to open in late 2024. 

 Divert

Divert is a company that converts food waste into renewable natural gas at facilities across North America and has chosen Lexington as the home of their next facility. To date, Divert has processed 2.6 billion pounds of wasted food and used its technology to donate over 13.2 million pounds of nutritious food to those in need. The manifestation of their Lexington facility will expand their operations along the east coast.

Nucor Corporation

Nucor Rebar Fabrication, a leading fabricator of concrete reinforcing steel, will create 25 new jobs and invest more than $20 million to establish a new rebar fabrication facility in Davidson County. Nucor Rebar Fabrication, an affiliate of Nucor Corporation, is a construction services company that fabricates, installs, and distributes rebar to a variety of infrastructure and building projects.

US Foods

US Foods, one of America’s leading foodservice distributors, is expanding its US Foods Stock Yards® operations to a 220,000-square-foot space at 133 Lexington Parkway, Lexington, North Carolina.   The new location will support the growth and expansion of the company’s US Foods Stock Yards products operations. The new location is expected to open operations in Q1 2026 and will bring more than 100 new jobs to Lexington by Q4 2027.   

Lexington Barbecue

No visit is complete without Lexington-style barbeque, smoked fresh daily at 13 barbecue restaurants across the city. Lexington Barbecue, Barbecue Center, Speedy's BBQ and Backcountry Barbecue are just to name a few of our famous locations that call Lexington home.

Each year in late October, over 100,000 visitors experience Lexington firsthand during the annual Barbecue Festival. The Barbecue Festival is held in Uptown Lexington on an eight-block stretch of Main Street. Over four hundred exhibitors sell everything from handmade crafts to homemade fudge. Five stages of entertainment showcase local and national artists.

Live Local, Work Local

The average commute time in Lexington is 22 minutes, sitting 4.6 minutes under the national average of 26.6 minutes. One of the benefits of Lexington's community is proximity. Whether you're going to work at a manufacturing facility on a large parcel of land, play by visiting Alive After Five at Breeden Ampitheater on a summer night, or live in one of the hundreds of our newly developed single-family homes, it's all within close proximity. 

Small Community, Big Opportunities

Lexington has a rich history and a close-knit community with a population of nearly 20,000. You won't meet a stranger when walking down main street or dining at a locally owned restaurant. The hospitality that Lexington exudes leads to it being an attractive prospect for those looking to start a family and stay in a thriving community long-term.

In a similar light, Lexington is also attracting young residents with our recent uptick in economic development, affordable housing in comparison to surrounding markets, a walkable and livable Uptown that is continually growing, and close proximity to key cities in the Triad and beyond. This mix of generations staying in Lexington and attracting young professionals leads to the median age of our residents 38.6 years old.

Developing the Next Generation

Student-teacher ratio - 15:1

Number of students district wide - 2,860 (K-12) with an additional 119 pre-k students

Lexington City Schools measures success by closely monitoring:

• Achievement 

• Growth 

• Discipline

• Attendance

• Exceptional Children (EC) and Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG)

• Graduation and Dropout rates 

• Enrollment in honors courses

• Representation in clubs and organizations 

Lexington Senior High School 2024 Graduation Rate: 83.7%

District graduation rate: 83.0%

Lexington is also home to Davidson-Davie Community College, an institution that provides innovative and equitable learning experiences to empower individuals, transform lives, and prepare students for enhanced career and educational opportunities within a changing global community.

• Student to Faculty Ratio: 15:1
• Average number of students per class: 18
• More than 20 clubs and organizations
• 70% of students receive Financial Aid
• Numbers of Students: Over 13,000
• We offer over 40 program pathways with many pathways having multiple degree, diploma and certificate offerings
• Graduation: In May we celebrated 1,120 graduates. That includes 1,365 credentials – including 610 associate degrees, 126 diplomas, and 629 certificate and pathway completions.