Fast Facts on Duke University's contributions to the state of North Carolina

With more than 35,000 employees in 2003, Duke was the largest private employer in the Piedmont region and the third largest in the state after Wal-Mart and Food Lion. While Duke ranked third in total number of jobs, the $1.5 billion paid in wages and benefits in FY 2004 to its employees led the state and generates significant taxes in support of the economy of North Carolina and local governments.

With more than $365 million in research expenditures in FY 2003, Duke led all North Carolina universities in funding from the federal government to support research in areas central to the health and welfare of North Carolina's citizens, including new technologies which promise to provide innovation from which future high technology jobs will be created. In FY 2004, those research expenditures had risen to $492 million, in areas ranging from cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and other diseases, to genomics and homeland security. The federal government estimates that for every million dollars generated in research funding, 36 jobs are created, which means that in 2003-2004, Duke's success in securing federal government support for research was responsible for the creation of more than 17,700 jobs in North Carolina.

Duke takes seriously its responsibility as a corporate citizen of its home community of Durham. In 2002-2003, Duke University and Health System had an estimated $2.6 billion total annual economic impact on Durham alone. In FY 2003-2004, Duke purchased more than $500 million in goods and services from about 7,700 North Carolina firms.

Duke's indirect economic impact on the local community is extensive. Duke students, their families, and more than one million campus visitors each year spend an estimated $314 million in Durham for food, lodging, and other local goods and services.

Over the last seven years, Duke generated more than $10 million from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government to support K-12 education in the Durham Public Schools, and to create several health clinics in public schools and local community centers. In addition, Duke partners with nonprofit, community- and faith- based organizations to support the needs of people living in low-wealth communities near Duke's campus.

Duke's commitment to North Carolina is an important part of its educational mission. Duke gives preference in admission to high-quality students from North Carolina, and North Carolina is by far the state with the largest number of undergraduate students enrolled at Duke. Because Duke admits students based on their high school performance and an assessment of their potential to contribute to the intellectual life of the university, Duke does not consider a student's financial circumstances during admission. But once a decision to admit a student is made, Duke commits to provide appropriate financial aid to ensure that the student can attend. Approximately 48 percent of undergraduate students from North Carolina in 2003-2004 received need-based financial aid, with an average annual award of $28,000.

Duke's ties to North Carolina have always been, and remain, very close. James B. Duke, the founder of Duke University, also founded the Duke Power Company and The Duke Endowment, a charitable trust in Charlotte which is the largest foundation serving the people of North Carolina with about $100 million in annual grants provided to support education, health care, child care, and rural churches.