Counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Carolina

Written by:
November 15, 2022
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Counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Carolina

Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.

As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.

To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Carolina using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.

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#50. Lenoir County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 26,935 (899 unemployed)

#49. Montgomery County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 11,413 (373 unemployed)

#48. Moore County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 40,699 (1,332 unemployed)

#47. Randolph County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 65,436 (2,147 unemployed)

#46. Rowan County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 67,165 (2,194 unemployed)
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#45. Sampson County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.3%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 28,066 (917 unemployed)

#44. Craven County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 40,971 (1,374 unemployed)

#43. Forsyth County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 186,510 (6,344 unemployed)

#42. Gaston County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 113,746 (3,851 unemployed)

#41. Wilkes County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 26,528 (913 unemployed)
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#40. Beaufort County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 19,712 (684 unemployed)

#39. Cherokee County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 10,826 (379 unemployed)

#38. Wayne County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 50,942 (1,802 unemployed)

#37. Caswell County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 9,757 (348 unemployed)

#36. Cleveland County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 47,874 (1,745 unemployed)
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#35. Mitchell County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 5,914 (214 unemployed)

#34. Harnett County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 54,939 (2,052 unemployed)

#33. Pitt County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 88,467 (3,264 unemployed)

#32. Rockingham County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 39,526 (1,479 unemployed)

#31. Chowan County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 5,598 (211 unemployed)
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#30. Clay County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 4,012 (151 unemployed)

#29. Guilford County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 260,797 (9,838 unemployed)

#28. Perquimans County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 4,879 (187 unemployed)

#27. Lee County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 25,998 (1,001 unemployed)

#26. Onslow County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 66,653 (2,590 unemployed)
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#25. Pasquotank County

- Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 16,432 (645 unemployed)

#24. Hyde County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.0%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 1,809 (72 unemployed)

#23. Columbus County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 22,799 (931 unemployed)

#22. Martin County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 8,525 (348 unemployed)

#21. Anson County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -1.7%
- Total labor force: 10,095 (427 unemployed)
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#20. Bladen County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 13,953 (590 unemployed)

#19. Brunswick County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 56,330 (2,356 unemployed)

#18. Bertie County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 7,274 (320 unemployed)

#17. Graham County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 3,021 (134 unemployed)

#16. Northampton County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 7,079 (308 unemployed)
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#15. Rutherford County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.5%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 24,128 (1,082 unemployed)

#14. Hertford County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 8,459 (393 unemployed)

#13. Tyrrell County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 1,373 (63 unemployed)

#12. Hoke County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 20,391 (972 unemployed)

#11. Washington County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.8%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 4,315 (205 unemployed)
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#10. Cumberland County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 128,303 (6,270 unemployed)

#9. Nash County

- Current unemployment rate: 4.9%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 41,462 (2,021 unemployed)

#8. Wilson County

- Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
--- 1 month change: -1.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 32,351 (1,657 unemployed)

#7. Richmond County

- Current unemployment rate: 5.2%
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 16,213 (843 unemployed)

#6. Robeson County

- Current unemployment rate: 5.5%
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 47,527 (2,599 unemployed)
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#5. Halifax County

- Current unemployment rate: 5.7%
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 18,905 (1,070 unemployed)

#4. Vance County

- Current unemployment rate: 5.9%
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 16,515 (977 unemployed)

#3. Scotland County

- Current unemployment rate: 6.5%
--- 1 month change: -1.2%
--- 1 year change: -2.1%
- Total labor force: 10,962 (716 unemployed)

#2. Edgecombe County

- Current unemployment rate: 6.8%
--- 1 month change: -1.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 19,905 (1,350 unemployed)

#1. Warren County

- Current unemployment rate: 7.6%
--- 1 month change: +0.7%
--- 1 year change: +0.6%
- Total labor force: 6,632 (505 unemployed)
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