Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate

Camden County had the highest job creation rate of 100 counties in 2016, at 29.958%. Bertie County had the lowest, at 6.063%. The median was 12.019% and the figure for North Carolina was 13.196%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest29.958Camden County
Lowest6.063Bertie County
Median12.019100 counties
North Carolina13.196History

Map of counties, 2016

Alamance County: 11.802 %Alexander County: 15.011 %Alleghany County: 18.081 %Anson County: 13.705 %Ashe County: 16.849 %Avery County: 11.006 %Beaufort County: 11.795 %Bertie County: 6.063 %Bladen County: 8.257 %Brunswick County: 13.566 %Buncombe County: 14.783 %Burke County: 10.582 %Cabarrus County: 13.251 %Caldwell County: 8.571 %Camden County: 29.958 %Carteret County: 10.952 %Caswell County: 13.023 %Catawba County: 12.194 %Chatham County: 13.629 %Cherokee County: 22.575 %Chowan County: 11.051 %Clay County: 15.859 %Cleveland County: 13.793 %Columbus County: 12.231 %Craven County: 11.87 %Cumberland County: 12.782 %Currituck County: 13.75 %Dare County: 14.463 %Davidson County: 10.394 %Davie County: 16.496 %Duplin County: 7.798 %Durham County: 12.522 %Edgecombe County: 9.551 %Forsyth County: 11.66 %Franklin County: 13.374 %Gaston County: 12.912 %Gates County: 22.236 %Graham County: 16.768 %Granville County: 10.616 %Greene County: 12.535 %Guilford County: 10.517 %Halifax County: 10.538 %Harnett County: 16.579 %Haywood County: 12.319 %Henderson County: 13.162 %Hertford County: 8.755 %Hoke County: 8.667 %Hyde County: 21.659 %Iredell County: 12.834 %Jackson County: 12.083 %Johnston County: 12.502 %Jones County: 18.861 %Lee County: 9.952 %Lenoir County: 8.501 %Lincoln County: 14.348 %McDowell County: 11.331 %Macon County: 12.99 %Madison County: 11.748 %Martin County: 14.253 %Mecklenburg County: 15.333 %Mitchell County: 11.835 %Montgomery County: 11.438 %Moore County: 11.391 %Nash County: 9.608 %New Hanover County: 13.785 %Northampton County: 11.889 %Onslow County: 13.448 %Orange County: 11.78 %Pamlico County: 10.026 %Pasquotank County: 19.229 %Pender County: 19.662 %Perquimans County: 11.446 %Person County: 11.608 %Pitt County: 11.148 %Polk County: 11.556 %Randolph County: 9.985 %Richmond County: 15.266 %Robeson County: 9.773 %Rockingham County: 10.463 %Rowan County: 9.874 %Rutherford County: 11.954 %Sampson County: 10.413 %Scotland County: 10.465 %Stanly County: 12.756 %Stokes County: 10.906 %Surry County: 10.788 %Swain County: 15.625 %Transylvania County: 12.482 %Tyrrell County: 17.049 %Union County: 13.635 %Vance County: 11.452 %Wake County: 15.104 %Warren County: 11.493 %Washington County: 7.594 %Watauga County: 12.794 %Wayne County: 10.517 %Wilkes County: 9.202 %Wilson County: 10.103 %Yadkin County: 10.95 %Yancey County: 13.89 %
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%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Camden County: 29.958 %Camden County29.958Cherokee County: 22.575 %Cherokee County22.575Gates County: 22.236 %Gates County22.236Hyde County: 21.659 %Hyde County21.659Pender County: 19.662 %Pender County19.662Pasquotank County: 19.229 %Pasquotank County19.229Jones County: 18.861 %Jones County18.861Alleghany County: 18.081 %Alleghany County18.081Tyrrell County: 17.049 %Tyrrell County17.049Ashe County: 16.849 %Ashe County16.849Graham County: 16.768 %Graham County16.768Harnett County: 16.579 %Harnett County16.579Davie County: 16.496 %Davie County16.496Clay County: 15.859 %Clay County15.859Swain County: 15.625 %Swain County15.625Mecklenburg County: 15.333 %Mecklenburg County15.333Richmond County: 15.266 %Richmond County15.266Wake County: 15.104 %Wake County15.104Alexander County: 15.011 %Alexander County15.011Buncombe County: 14.783 %Buncombe County14.783Dare County: 14.463 %Dare County14.463Lincoln County: 14.348 %Lincoln County14.348Martin County: 14.253 %Martin County14.253Yancey County: 13.89 %Yancey County13.89Cleveland County: 13.793 %Cleveland County13.793New Hanover County: 13.785 %New Hanover County13.785Currituck County: 13.75 %Currituck County13.75Anson County: 13.705 %Anson County13.705Union County: 13.635 %Union County13.635Chatham County: 13.629 %Chatham County13.629Brunswick County: 13.566 %Brunswick County13.566Onslow County: 13.448 %Onslow County13.448Franklin County: 13.374 %Franklin County13.374Cabarrus County: 13.251 %Cabarrus County13.251Henderson County: 13.162 %Henderson County13.162Caswell County: 13.023 %Caswell County13.023Macon County: 12.99 %Macon County12.99Gaston County: 12.912 %Gaston County12.912Iredell County: 12.834 %Iredell County12.834Watauga County: 12.794 %Watauga County12.794Camden County: 29.958 %Camden County29.958Cherokee County: 22.575 %Cherokee County22.575Gates County: 22.236 %Gates County22.236Hyde County: 21.659 %Hyde County21.659Pender County: 19.662 %Pender County19.662Pasquotank County: 19.229 %Pasquotank County19.229Jones County: 18.861 %Jones County18.861Alleghany County: 18.081 %Alleghany County18.081Tyrrell County: 17.049 %Tyrrell County17.049Ashe County: 16.849 %Ashe County16.849Graham County: 16.768 %Graham County16.768Harnett County: 16.579 %Harnett County16.579Davie County: 16.496 %Davie County16.496Clay County: 15.859 %Clay County15.859Swain County: 15.625 %Swain County15.625Mecklenburg County: 15.333 %Mecklenburg County15.333Richmond County: 15.266 %Richmond County15.266Wake County: 15.104 %Wake County15.104Alexander County: 15.011 %Alexander County15.011Buncombe County: 14.783 %Buncombe County14.783Dare County: 14.463 %Dare County14.463Lincoln County: 14.348 %Lincoln County14.348Martin County: 14.253 %Martin County14.253Yancey County: 13.89 %Yancey County13.89Cleveland County: 13.793 %Cleveland County13.793New Hanover County: 13.785 %New Hanover County13.785Currituck County: 13.75 %Currituck County13.75Anson County: 13.705 %Anson County13.705Union County: 13.635 %Union County13.635Chatham County: 13.629 %Chatham County13.629Brunswick County: 13.566 %Brunswick County13.566Onslow County: 13.448 %Onslow County13.448Franklin County: 13.374 %Franklin County13.374Cabarrus County: 13.251 %Cabarrus County13.251Henderson County: 13.162 %Henderson County13.162Caswell County: 13.023 %Caswell County13.023Macon County: 12.99 %Macon County12.99Gaston County: 12.912 %Gaston County12.912Iredell County: 12.834 %Iredell County12.834Watauga County: 12.794 %Watauga County12.794
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Camden County29.958+12.4 pts
2Cherokee County22.575+11.21 pts
3Gates County22.236+5.93 pts
4Hyde County21.659+10.22 pts
5Pender County19.662+4.46 pts
6Pasquotank County19.229+7.51 pts
7Jones County18.861+7.54 pts
8Alleghany County18.081+9.17 pts
9Tyrrell County17.049+9.49 pts
10Ashe County16.849+6.88 pts
11Graham County16.768+0.01 pts
12Harnett County16.579-1.59 pts
13Davie County16.496+2.75 pts
14Clay County15.859-4.63 pts
15Swain County15.625+1.85 pts
16Mecklenburg County15.333+1.28 pts
17Richmond County15.266+7.73 pts
18Wake County15.104+0.92 pts
19Alexander County15.011+4.72 pts
20Buncombe County14.783+3.74 pts
21Dare County14.463-0.18 pts
22Lincoln County14.348+1.91 pts
23Martin County14.253+5.24 pts
24Yancey County13.89+4.73 pts
25Cleveland County13.793+4.19 pts
26New Hanover County13.785+0.22 pts
27Currituck County13.75-2.56 pts
28Anson County13.705+2.2 pts
29Union County13.635-0.47 pts
30Chatham County13.629-0.46 pts
31Brunswick County13.566+0.03 pts
32Onslow County13.448-0.84 pts
33Franklin County13.374+0.81 pts
34Cabarrus County13.251-0.08 pts
35Henderson County13.162+1.06 pts
36Caswell County13.023-4.52 pts
37Macon County12.99+1.48 pts
38Gaston County12.912+1.12 pts
39Iredell County12.834-1.56 pts
40Watauga County12.794-0.31 pts
41Cumberland County12.782+1.91 pts
42Stanly County12.756+3.15 pts
43Greene County12.535-5.92 pts
44Durham County12.522-0.8 pts
45Johnston County12.502-2.22 pts
46Transylvania County12.482+0.55 pts
47Haywood County12.319+1.24 pts
48Columbus County12.231+1.65 pts
49Catawba County12.194+1.76 pts
50Jackson County12.083-0.33 pts
51Rutherford County11.954-2.08 pts
52Northampton County11.889+6.07 pts
53Craven County11.87+0.75 pts
54Mitchell County11.835+4.13 pts
55Alamance County11.802-6.17 pts
56Beaufort County11.795+1.17 pts
57Orange County11.78+2.69 pts
58Madison County11.748+3.92 pts
59Forsyth County11.66+1.01 pts
60Person County11.608+3.09 pts
61Polk County11.556-2.42 pts
62Warren County11.493+2.46 pts
63Vance County11.452+2.08 pts
64Perquimans County11.446+2.86 pts
65Montgomery County11.438-0.83 pts
66Moore County11.391+0.16 pts
67McDowell County11.331+4.1 pts
68Pitt County11.148-1.74 pts
69Chowan County11.051+2.66 pts
70Avery County11.006-2.5 pts
71Carteret County10.952-2.07 pts
72Yadkin County10.95+5.35 pts
73Stokes County10.906-1.07 pts
74Surry County10.788+0.37 pts
75Granville County10.616-3.68 pts
76Burke County10.582+0.26 pts
77Halifax County10.538+2.52 pts
78Guilford County10.517-1.68 pts
78Wayne County10.517+2.09 pts
80Scotland County10.465-2.16 pts
81Rockingham County10.463-1.06 pts
82Sampson County10.413+0.53 pts
83Davidson County10.394-3.34 pts
84Wilson County10.103-0.8 pts
85Pamlico County10.026-6.51 pts
86Randolph County9.985+0.89 pts
87Lee County9.952-5.49 pts
88Rowan County9.874-4.23 pts
89Robeson County9.773-0.71 pts
90Nash County9.608-2.31 pts
91Edgecombe County9.551+0.27 pts
92Wilkes County9.202-3.13 pts
93Hertford County8.755+1.69 pts
94Hoke County8.667-7.54 pts
95Caldwell County8.571-6.64 pts
96Lenoir County8.501-3.46 pts
97Bladen County8.257-21.53 pts
98Duplin County7.798-1.13 pts
99Washington County7.594-2.83 pts
100Bertie County6.063-39.55 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. 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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate, 2016
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job creation rate?

Camden County, with 29.958% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Bertie County, with 6.063% in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings