Here's how unemployment in Buncombe County, North Carolina compares

Buncombe County's unemployment rate in December was 2.4%—ranked #100 highest out of 100 in the state.

Nationally, unemployment has leveled with pre-COVID rates, measuring between 3.5% and 4% for most of the past two years. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed a 3.7% unemployment rate in January. Previously, unemployment skyrocketed to 14.7% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and those rates remained elevated through late 2021.

Though national unemployment has mostly normalized, local economies vary widely. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to analyze unemployment in Buncombe County over time, and how it stacks up within North Carolina and across the nation.

The unemployment rate in Buncombe County is 1.3 percentage points below the national level, and 1.1 percentage points below the state level. It ranks #100 among counties in North Carolina—ranked first by the preliminary December 2023 unemployment rate, then breaking ties by the number of unemployed people. It trails behind Swain County, with an unemployment rate of 2.5%, and has the lowest unemployment in the state.

In real terms, it means an estimated 3,482 of Buncombe County's approximately 143,096 working residents are out of a job at the moment. That's 317 fewer than last month and 33 more than a year ago. Some economists fret another recession may be on the horizon, which would drive unemployment up with business closures and layoffs.

This story was produced using automation across 3,100 counties, boroughs, and parishes, based on writing and data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.