June unemployment rose in 39 North Carolina counties

Commerce officials said 98 counties had unemployment rates at or below 5%, while statewide not-seasonally adjusted unemployment was 3.5%.

Unemployment rates increased in 39 North Carolina counties in June, according to county and area employment figures released by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The July 29 report said unemployment rates decreased in 16 counties and remained unchanged in 45. The figures are not seasonally adjusted, meaning they can reflect normal month-to-month seasonal patterns.

Edgecombe County had the state’s highest unemployment rate at 5.3%, while Currituck County had the lowest at 2.7%. Among metropolitan areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.7%, while Raleigh had the lowest at 3.1%.

The statewide not-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5% in June. Commerce said 98 counties had unemployment rates of 5% or lower, while two counties had rates between 5% and 10%. No counties had unemployment rates above 10%.

The report showed a mixed month-to-month picture but stronger year-over-year comparisons. Compared with the same month last year, unemployment rates decreased in 96 counties, increased in two and remained unchanged in two. All 15 metro areas had lower unemployment rates than a year earlier.

The number of workers employed statewide, not seasonally adjusted, decreased by 12,914 in June to 5,052,373. The number of unemployed workers increased by 1,581 to 185,010.

Commerce cautioned that employment estimates are subject to large seasonal patterns and said over-the-year changes are often more useful than month-to-month comparisons in the not-seasonally adjusted data.

The next unemployment update is scheduled for Aug. 21, when the state is expected to release the statewide unemployment rate for July 2026.

Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.