Civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC

Civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC was 291,819 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 1.3% from 2024. That is the 2nd highest of 44 cities in 2025.

2025, persons291,819
Change on 2024+1.3%
Series high291,8192025
Series low125,1231990

Next release: Wednesday, 28 October 2026, 10:00 ET, announced by BLS. Release calendar

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Civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025

100K150K200K250K300K19901996200220082014202020251990: 125,123 persons1991: 128,632 persons1992: 134,081 persons1993: 138,165 persons1994: 143,368 persons1995: 148,376 persons1996: 158,059 persons1997: 165,710 persons1998: 170,929 persons1999: 176,406 persons2000: 162,302 persons2001: 167,777 persons2002: 169,084 persons2003: 172,843 persons2004: 175,238 persons2005: 189,541 persons2006: 198,631 persons2007: 205,064 persons2008: 212,907 persons2009: 213,184 persons2010: 216,821 persons2011: 218,472 persons2012: 224,892 persons2013: 226,673 persons2014: 229,945 persons2015: 236,359 persons2016: 251,618 persons2017: 257,247 persons2018: 259,863 persons2019: 262,825 persons2020: 253,324 persons2021: 261,358 persons2022: 275,019 persons2023: 285,398 persons2024: 288,154 persons2025: 291,819 persons100K150K200K250K300K19902002201420251990: 125,123 persons1991: 128,632 persons1992: 134,081 persons1993: 138,165 persons1994: 143,368 persons1995: 148,376 persons1996: 158,059 persons1997: 165,710 persons1998: 170,929 persons1999: 176,406 persons2000: 162,302 persons2001: 167,777 persons2002: 169,084 persons2003: 172,843 persons2004: 175,238 persons2005: 189,541 persons2006: 198,631 persons2007: 205,064 persons2008: 212,907 persons2009: 213,184 persons2010: 216,821 persons2011: 218,472 persons2012: 224,892 persons2013: 226,673 persons2014: 229,945 persons2015: 236,359 persons2016: 251,618 persons2017: 257,247 persons2018: 259,863 persons2019: 262,825 persons2020: 253,324 persons2021: 261,358 persons2022: 275,019 persons2023: 285,398 persons2024: 288,154 persons2025: 291,819 persons
persons. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-09-30.
All 36 values
Periodpersons
2025291,819
2024288,154
2023285,398
2022275,019
2021261,358
2020253,324
2019262,825
2018259,863
2017257,247
2016251,618
2015236,359
2014229,945
2013226,673
2012224,892
2011218,472
2010216,821
2009213,184
2008212,907
2007205,064
2006198,631
2005189,541
2004175,238
2003172,843
2002169,084
2001167,777
2000162,302
1999176,406
1998170,929
1997165,710
1996158,059
1995148,376
1994143,368
1993138,165
1992134,081
1991128,632
1990125,123

Rankings

Definition

Employed plus unemployed residents, annual average.

More on how it is measured
  • People aged 16 and over by place of residence, from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Active-duty military personnel and people living in institutions are excluded.

United States cities only for now. Counts people where they live, not jobs: for wage and salary jobs by state use oews_employment. BLS estimates cities by splitting county estimates with Census Bureau employment and population data and unemployment insurance claims, so city figures are less precise than state ones. BLS publishes cities of 25,000 or more, and smaller cities in New England.

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How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average (Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average, Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average, Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_civilian_labor_force_raleigh_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average: Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average: Civilian labor force, Raleigh, NC, 1990 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/civilian-labor-force/raleigh-nc.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

What is the civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC?

Civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC was 291,819 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 1.3% from 2024. That is the 2nd highest of 44 cities in 2025.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: labor force (measure 06), annual average. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest civilian labor force in Raleigh, NC?

291,819 in 2025, the highest value since 1990 in this series.

Civilian labor force elsewhere in North Carolina

Related statistics for Raleigh, NC

All statistics for Raleigh, NC | Raleigh, NC in figures