CallataGuides

Business phone system for temporary help services in North Carolina

1,403 temporary help services operated in North Carolina in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
1,403CBP 2023
Employees
108,584mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
12.7U.S. 11.2
State rank
9th of 51by count

The temporary staffing agency industry in North Carolina

North Carolina had 1,403 temporary help services in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns (NAICS 561320, Temporary Help Services). They employed 108,584 people in mid-March and reported $5.0 billion in annual payroll. That is the 9th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Temporary help services make up 0.54% of the 258,169 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) North Carolina has 12.7 temporary help services, 12.9% above the national rate of 11.2. The average establishment has 77.4 employees against 95.3 nationally. Payroll per employee is $46,025, 5.4% below the U.S. figure of $48,635.

Temporary help services: North Carolina compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureNorth CarolinaUnited States
Establishments1,40338,254
Mid-March employees108,5843,645,678
Annual payroll$4,997,525,000$177,308,415,000
Employees per establishment77.495.3
Payroll per employee$46,025$48,635
Establishments per 100,000 residents12.711.2

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Where temporary help services in North Carolina are concentrated

Census published temporary staffing agency counts for 32 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of North Carolina. The largest is Charlotte, NC-SC, with 406 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 64% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Temporary help services by metro or micropolitan area, North Carolina, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Charlotte, NC-SC40625,56914.1
Raleigh, NC29913,09619.1
Virginia Beach, VA-NC16911,0309.4
Greensboro, NC1288,01716.0
Durham, NC1022,79816.4
Winston, NC584,1548.2
Asheville, NC431,45510.2
Hickory, NC332,2988.8
Burlington, NC271,07414.8
Wilmington, NC251,4765.2
Fayetteville, NC229955.6
Greenville, NC2177511.6
Rocky Mount, NC2066313.6
Wilson, NC1759821.3
Sanford, NC16—23.3
New Bern, NC8—6.3
Jacksonville, NC75423.3
Mount Airy, NC77209.8
Kinston, NC749212.7
Goldsboro, NC61655.0
Shelby, NC65475.9
Albemarle, NC62118.9
Marion, NC625513.3
Rockingham, NC58611.9
Anderson Creek, NC4932.7

Top 25 of 32 areas by establishments. Source: Census CBP 2023.

Team sizes at temporary help services in North Carolina

35.7% of North Carolina's temporary help services with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 37.2% nationally. 43.5% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Temporary help services in North Carolina by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees50135.7%37.2%
5–9 employees1107.8%8.7%
10–19 employees1248.8%8.7%
20–49 employees20914.9%14.7%
50 or more employees45932.7%30.7%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Why the phone matters for temporary help services in North Carolina

Staffing agencies fill shifts on short notice, so the phone is constantly in use with workers and clients. Early-morning call-outs require quick action.

A few of the calls that come in to temporary help services in North Carolina:

When nobody can pick up

Call-outs and shift requests arrive early and late, so after-hours routing matters.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

What a phone system costs a temporary staffing agency in North Carolina

Temporary help services in North Carolina average 77.4 employees, so the comparison uses a 77-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 77 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $2,310.00 a month and 77 on Ooma Office Pro cost $1,921.15. On Callata the same 77 people cost $1,539.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $9,252. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for a 77-person temporary staffing agency
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$1,539.00$18,468.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$1,463.00$17,556.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$1,771.00$21,252.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$1,921.15$23,053.80
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$2,079.00$24,948.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$2,310.00$27,720.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in North Carolina

North Carolina has 10 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your workers and clients know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in North Carolina by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
910785Eastern1993472
336783Eastern1997743
704782Eastern1947980
919781Eastern1954984
828724Eastern1998none
252695Eastern1998none
980463Eastern2001704
984295Eastern2012919
743160Eastern2016336
472106Eastern2022910

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for temporary help services in North Carolina

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in North Carolina, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many temporary help services are in North Carolina?

1,403 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 108,584 people in mid-March.

Which North Carolina metro area has the most temporary help services?

Charlotte, NC-SC, with 406 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost a 77-person temporary staffing agency?

$2,310.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $1,921.15 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $1,539.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a North Carolina number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.