During most of the 20th century, the Wilmington area has experienced what some business leaders have described as an immunity to national and state economic trends. There have been good and bad eras, but the general  Wilmington economy has neither performed as well in prosperous times nor as badly in recessionary times as regions with similar demographics. Past economic immunity seems to have created a kind of unspectacular (but sometimes comforting) financial stability for the Cape Fear area.

This middle-of-the-road economic situation has made it hard for workers to get rich in traditional, professional employment because there is not tremendous opportunity to work for large corporations. Manufacturing accounts for about 15 percent of the jobs and a quarter of the economy, suggesting how cherished this kind of employment is to Wilmingtonians. Locals view the relatively few corporate professional employees with a degree of awe and speak with amazement of their high salaries and profuse benefits. By far, most people in the area work in smaller businesses for someone else or are engaged in some kind of enterprise of their own.

There is a wide variety of commerce and industry opportunities available in the Wilmington area. Below please find a list of some of the larger industries active in the area.