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

Counties in North Carolina by job creation rate

Gates County had the highest job creation rate of 100 counties in 2020, at 24.879%. Northampton County had the lowest, at 4.006%. The median was 10.827% and the figure for North Carolina was 11.523%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest24.879Gates County
Lowest4.006Northampton County
Median10.827100 counties
North Carolina11.523History

Map of counties, 2020

Alamance County: 8.893 %Alexander County: 10.105 %Alleghany County: 8.569 %Anson County: 7.262 %Ashe County: 8.34 %Avery County: 9.415 %Beaufort County: 8.272 %Bertie County: 6.698 %Bladen County: 5.812 %Brunswick County: 11.985 %Buncombe County: 11.531 %Burke County: 8.661 %Cabarrus County: 13.943 %Caldwell County: 7.841 %Camden County: 13.817 %Carteret County: 13.508 %Caswell County: 14.588 %Catawba County: 9.26 %Chatham County: 22.392 %Cherokee County: 9.131 %Chowan County: 9.297 %Clay County: 8.329 %Cleveland County: 9.38 %Columbus County: 10.009 %Craven County: 9.012 %Cumberland County: 10.06 %Currituck County: 12.874 %Dare County: 11.337 %Davidson County: 12.271 %Davie County: 11.57 %Duplin County: 10.657 %Durham County: 9.13 %Edgecombe County: 7.044 %Forsyth County: 10.256 %Franklin County: 13.202 %Gaston County: 11.581 %Gates County: 24.879 %Graham County: 14.732 %Granville County: 13.206 %Greene County: 10.739 %Guilford County: 11.102 %Halifax County: 15.524 %Harnett County: 10.091 %Haywood County: 10.608 %Henderson County: 11.967 %Hertford County: 7.645 %Hoke County: 8.803 %Hyde County: 12.596 %Iredell County: 13.866 %Jackson County: 11.567 %Johnston County: 11.307 %Jones County: 13.944 %Lee County: 13.244 %Lenoir County: 7.198 %Lincoln County: 11.779 %McDowell County: 8.34 %Macon County: 12.022 %Madison County: 15.726 %Martin County: 7.85 %Mecklenburg County: 13.299 %Mitchell County: 8.52 %Montgomery County: 7.803 %Moore County: 8.574 %Nash County: 11.066 %New Hanover County: 11.236 %Northampton County: 4.006 %Onslow County: 12.697 %Orange County: 9.605 %Pamlico County: 11.562 %Pasquotank County: 13.285 %Pender County: 12.922 %Perquimans County: 8.839 %Person County: 13.205 %Pitt County: 9.063 %Polk County: 14.76 %Randolph County: 8.939 %Richmond County: 13.89 %Robeson County: 10.075 %Rockingham County: 12.297 %Rowan County: 9.123 %Rutherford County: 10.915 %Sampson County: 7.434 %Scotland County: 9.121 %Stanly County: 11.961 %Stokes County: 11.461 %Surry County: 8.615 %Swain County: 12.108 %Transylvania County: 14.484 %Tyrrell County: 11.508 %Union County: 12.524 %Vance County: 9.395 %Wake County: 13.458 %Warren County: 8.004 %Washington County: 12.375 %Watauga County: 11.111 %Wayne County: 8.47 %Wilkes County: 8.161 %Wilson County: 11.09 %Yadkin County: 6.677 %Yancey County: 8.566 %
  • Under 8.3
  • 8.3 to 9.1
  • 9.1 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Gates County: 24.879 %Gates County24.879Chatham County: 22.392 %Chatham County22.392Madison County: 15.726 %Madison County15.726Halifax County: 15.524 %Halifax County15.524Polk County: 14.76 %Polk County14.76Graham County: 14.732 %Graham County14.732Caswell County: 14.588 %Caswell County14.588Transylvania County: 14.484 %Transylvania County14.484Jones County: 13.944 %Jones County13.944Cabarrus County: 13.943 %Cabarrus County13.943Richmond County: 13.89 %Richmond County13.89Iredell County: 13.866 %Iredell County13.866Camden County: 13.817 %Camden County13.817Carteret County: 13.508 %Carteret County13.508Wake County: 13.458 %Wake County13.458Mecklenburg County: 13.299 %Mecklenburg County13.299Pasquotank County: 13.285 %Pasquotank County13.285Lee County: 13.244 %Lee County13.244Granville County: 13.206 %Granville County13.206Person County: 13.205 %Person County13.205Franklin County: 13.202 %Franklin County13.202Pender County: 12.922 %Pender County12.922Currituck County: 12.874 %Currituck County12.874Onslow County: 12.697 %Onslow County12.697Hyde County: 12.596 %Hyde County12.596Union County: 12.524 %Union County12.524Washington County: 12.375 %Washington County12.375Rockingham County: 12.297 %Rockingham County12.297Davidson County: 12.271 %Davidson County12.271Swain County: 12.108 %Swain County12.108Macon County: 12.022 %Macon County12.022Brunswick County: 11.985 %Brunswick County11.985Henderson County: 11.967 %Henderson County11.967Stanly County: 11.961 %Stanly County11.961Lincoln County: 11.779 %Lincoln County11.779Gaston County: 11.581 %Gaston County11.581Davie County: 11.57 %Davie County11.57Jackson County: 11.567 %Jackson County11.567Pamlico County: 11.562 %Pamlico County11.562Buncombe County: 11.531 %Buncombe County11.531Gates County: 24.879 %Gates County24.879Chatham County: 22.392 %Chatham County22.392Madison County: 15.726 %Madison County15.726Halifax County: 15.524 %Halifax County15.524Polk County: 14.76 %Polk County14.76Graham County: 14.732 %Graham County14.732Caswell County: 14.588 %Caswell County14.588Transylvania County: 14.484 %Transylvania County14.484Jones County: 13.944 %Jones County13.944Cabarrus County: 13.943 %Cabarrus County13.943Richmond County: 13.89 %Richmond County13.89Iredell County: 13.866 %Iredell County13.866Camden County: 13.817 %Camden County13.817Carteret County: 13.508 %Carteret County13.508Wake County: 13.458 %Wake County13.458Mecklenburg County: 13.299 %Mecklenburg County13.299Pasquotank County: 13.285 %Pasquotank County13.285Lee County: 13.244 %Lee County13.244Granville County: 13.206 %Granville County13.206Person County: 13.205 %Person County13.205Franklin County: 13.202 %Franklin County13.202Pender County: 12.922 %Pender County12.922Currituck County: 12.874 %Currituck County12.874Onslow County: 12.697 %Onslow County12.697Hyde County: 12.596 %Hyde County12.596Union County: 12.524 %Union County12.524Washington County: 12.375 %Washington County12.375Rockingham County: 12.297 %Rockingham County12.297Davidson County: 12.271 %Davidson County12.271Swain County: 12.108 %Swain County12.108Macon County: 12.022 %Macon County12.022Brunswick County: 11.985 %Brunswick County11.985Henderson County: 11.967 %Henderson County11.967Stanly County: 11.961 %Stanly County11.961Lincoln County: 11.779 %Lincoln County11.779Gaston County: 11.581 %Gaston County11.581Davie County: 11.57 %Davie County11.57Jackson County: 11.567 %Jackson County11.567Pamlico County: 11.562 %Pamlico County11.562Buncombe County: 11.531 %Buncombe County11.531
%. 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

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Gates County24.879+13.31 pts
2Chatham County22.392+11.08 pts
3Madison County15.726+5.57 pts
4Halifax County15.524+5.28 pts
5Polk County14.76+3.69 pts
6Graham County14.732-7.28 pts
7Caswell County14.588+0.59 pts
8Transylvania County14.484-0.14 pts
9Jones County13.944-6.92 pts
10Cabarrus County13.943+0.55 pts
11Richmond County13.89+4.07 pts
12Iredell County13.866+2.21 pts
13Camden County13.817-7.66 pts
14Carteret County13.508+2.08 pts
15Wake County13.458+0.12 pts
16Mecklenburg County13.299-0.61 pts
17Pasquotank County13.285+3.25 pts
18Lee County13.244+6.89 pts
19Granville County13.206+3.8 pts
20Person County13.205+4.26 pts
21Franklin County13.202-0.14 pts
22Pender County12.922-3.58 pts
23Currituck County12.874-1.54 pts
24Onslow County12.697-0.29 pts
25Hyde County12.596+1.35 pts
26Union County12.524+1.51 pts
27Washington County12.375+8 pts
28Rockingham County12.297+2.41 pts
29Davidson County12.271-0.19 pts
30Swain County12.108-1.51 pts
31Macon County12.022-2.64 pts
32Brunswick County11.985-2.24 pts
33Henderson County11.967-0.91 pts
34Stanly County11.961+0.2 pts
35Lincoln County11.779-0.87 pts
36Gaston County11.581-0.53 pts
37Davie County11.57-1.37 pts
38Jackson County11.567+1.94 pts
39Pamlico County11.562-3.35 pts
40Buncombe County11.531-4.63 pts
41Tyrrell County11.508-7.6 pts
42Stokes County11.461-1.04 pts
43Dare County11.337-0.71 pts
44Johnston County11.307-3.12 pts
45New Hanover County11.236-0.64 pts
46Watauga County11.111-0.02 pts
47Guilford County11.102+0.85 pts
48Wilson County11.09+2.72 pts
49Nash County11.066+1.11 pts
50Rutherford County10.915-1.01 pts
51Greene County10.739-5.3 pts
52Duplin County10.657-3.74 pts
53Haywood County10.608-0.69 pts
54Forsyth County10.256-8.08 pts
55Alexander County10.105+2.3 pts
56Harnett County10.091-6.55 pts
57Robeson County10.075-4.11 pts
58Cumberland County10.06+0.04 pts
59Columbus County10.009-1.22 pts
60Orange County9.605-2.27 pts
61Avery County9.415-4.18 pts
62Vance County9.395+1.66 pts
63Cleveland County9.38-0.85 pts
64Chowan County9.297-3.91 pts
65Catawba County9.26-0.42 pts
66Cherokee County9.131+0.39 pts
67Durham County9.13-1.5 pts
68Rowan County9.123-2.93 pts
69Scotland County9.121-1.28 pts
70Pitt County9.063-0.03 pts
71Craven County9.012-2.56 pts
72Randolph County8.939-1.55 pts
73Alamance County8.893-3.66 pts
74Perquimans County8.839-3.72 pts
75Hoke County8.803-1.21 pts
76Burke County8.661-1.75 pts
77Surry County8.615-3.8 pts
78Moore County8.574-2.81 pts
79Alleghany County8.569-5.03 pts
80Yancey County8.566-6.35 pts
81Mitchell County8.52-16.52 pts
82Wayne County8.47-1 pts
83Ashe County8.34-2.65 pts
83McDowell County8.34-8.68 pts
85Clay County8.329-9.25 pts
86Beaufort County8.2720 pts
87Wilkes County8.161-2.29 pts
88Warren County8.004-0.41 pts
89Martin County7.85-2.07 pts
90Caldwell County7.841-5.01 pts
91Montgomery County7.803-4.67 pts
92Hertford County7.645+0.17 pts
93Sampson County7.434-1.64 pts
94Anson County7.262-5.96 pts
95Lenoir County7.198-2.66 pts
96Edgecombe County7.044-3.05 pts
97Bertie County6.698-8.33 pts
98Yadkin County6.677-2.39 pts
99Bladen County5.812-6.89 pts
100Northampton County4.006-4.38 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2020.
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?

Gates County, with 24.879% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Northampton County, with 4.006% in 2020.

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