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

Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate

Jones County had the highest job destruction rate of 100 counties in 2012, at 24.829%. Alexander County had the lowest, at 7.221%. The median was 11.514% and the figure for North Carolina was 11.39%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest24.829Jones County
Lowest7.221Alexander County
Median11.514100 counties
North Carolina11.39History

Map of counties, 2012

Alamance County: 11.237 %Alexander County: 7.221 %Alleghany County: 19.962 %Anson County: 8.775 %Ashe County: 17.001 %Avery County: 23.373 %Beaufort County: 14.946 %Bertie County: 14.579 %Bladen County: 10.068 %Brunswick County: 15.106 %Buncombe County: 11.775 %Burke County: 10.609 %Cabarrus County: 11.942 %Caldwell County: 12.986 %Camden County: 13.146 %Carteret County: 12.702 %Caswell County: 16.956 %Catawba County: 9.732 %Chatham County: 19.651 %Cherokee County: 13.175 %Chowan County: 9.009 %Clay County: 14.005 %Cleveland County: 9.845 %Columbus County: 13.85 %Craven County: 11.362 %Cumberland County: 13.345 %Currituck County: 16.527 %Dare County: 13.964 %Davidson County: 9.99 %Davie County: 13.196 %Duplin County: 13.33 %Durham County: 7.499 %Edgecombe County: 18.752 %Forsyth County: 10.017 %Franklin County: 15.733 %Gaston County: 9.675 %Gates County: 9.897 %Graham County: 18.748 %Granville County: 18.452 %Greene County: 11.042 %Guilford County: 11.528 %Halifax County: 11.846 %Harnett County: 11.745 %Haywood County: 11.007 %Henderson County: 10.633 %Hertford County: 8.738 %Hoke County: 12.281 %Hyde County: 20.277 %Iredell County: 14.113 %Jackson County: 10.697 %Johnston County: 11.5 %Jones County: 24.829 %Lee County: 10.513 %Lenoir County: 9.999 %Lincoln County: 8.563 %McDowell County: 9.656 %Macon County: 15.551 %Madison County: 11.681 %Martin County: 11.603 %Mecklenburg County: 11.948 %Mitchell County: 8.903 %Montgomery County: 12.902 %Moore County: 9.961 %Nash County: 11.262 %New Hanover County: 14.047 %Northampton County: 7.367 %Onslow County: 13.747 %Orange County: 8.885 %Pamlico County: 11.64 %Pasquotank County: 11.407 %Pender County: 15.999 %Perquimans County: 12.509 %Person County: 14.2 %Pitt County: 9.341 %Polk County: 13.111 %Randolph County: 11.214 %Richmond County: 9.482 %Robeson County: 9.788 %Rockingham County: 10.81 %Rowan County: 10.234 %Rutherford County: 15.474 %Sampson County: 9.834 %Scotland County: 17.015 %Stanly County: 10.21 %Stokes County: 14.333 %Surry County: 11.188 %Swain County: 13.991 %Transylvania County: 9.994 %Tyrrell County: 11.778 %Union County: 10.336 %Vance County: 11.323 %Wake County: 11.491 %Warren County: 12.317 %Washington County: 9.666 %Watauga County: 10.859 %Wayne County: 11.055 %Wilkes County: 9.664 %Wilson County: 11.298 %Yadkin County: 7.98 %Yancey County: 8.385 %
  • Under 9.7
  • 9.7 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Jones County: 24.829 %Jones County24.829Avery County: 23.373 %Avery County23.373Hyde County: 20.277 %Hyde County20.277Alleghany County: 19.962 %Alleghany County19.962Chatham County: 19.651 %Chatham County19.651Edgecombe County: 18.752 %Edgecombe County18.752Graham County: 18.748 %Graham County18.748Granville County: 18.452 %Granville County18.452Scotland County: 17.015 %Scotland County17.015Ashe County: 17.001 %Ashe County17.001Caswell County: 16.956 %Caswell County16.956Currituck County: 16.527 %Currituck County16.527Pender County: 15.999 %Pender County15.999Franklin County: 15.733 %Franklin County15.733Macon County: 15.551 %Macon County15.551Rutherford County: 15.474 %Rutherford County15.474Brunswick County: 15.106 %Brunswick County15.106Beaufort County: 14.946 %Beaufort County14.946Bertie County: 14.579 %Bertie County14.579Stokes County: 14.333 %Stokes County14.333Person County: 14.2 %Person County14.2Iredell County: 14.113 %Iredell County14.113New Hanover County: 14.047 %New Hanover County14.047Clay County: 14.005 %Clay County14.005Swain County: 13.991 %Swain County13.991Dare County: 13.964 %Dare County13.964Columbus County: 13.85 %Columbus County13.85Onslow County: 13.747 %Onslow County13.747Cumberland County: 13.345 %Cumberland County13.345Duplin County: 13.33 %Duplin County13.33Davie County: 13.196 %Davie County13.196Cherokee County: 13.175 %Cherokee County13.175Camden County: 13.146 %Camden County13.146Polk County: 13.111 %Polk County13.111Caldwell County: 12.986 %Caldwell County12.986Montgomery County: 12.902 %Montgomery County12.902Carteret County: 12.702 %Carteret County12.702Perquimans County: 12.509 %Perquimans County12.509Warren County: 12.317 %Warren County12.317Hoke County: 12.281 %Hoke County12.281Jones County: 24.829 %Jones County24.829Avery County: 23.373 %Avery County23.373Hyde County: 20.277 %Hyde County20.277Alleghany County: 19.962 %Alleghany County19.962Chatham County: 19.651 %Chatham County19.651Edgecombe County: 18.752 %Edgecombe County18.752Graham County: 18.748 %Graham County18.748Granville County: 18.452 %Granville County18.452Scotland County: 17.015 %Scotland County17.015Ashe County: 17.001 %Ashe County17.001Caswell County: 16.956 %Caswell County16.956Currituck County: 16.527 %Currituck County16.527Pender County: 15.999 %Pender County15.999Franklin County: 15.733 %Franklin County15.733Macon County: 15.551 %Macon County15.551Rutherford County: 15.474 %Rutherford County15.474Brunswick County: 15.106 %Brunswick County15.106Beaufort County: 14.946 %Beaufort County14.946Bertie County: 14.579 %Bertie County14.579Stokes County: 14.333 %Stokes County14.333Person County: 14.2 %Person County14.2Iredell County: 14.113 %Iredell County14.113New Hanover County: 14.047 %New Hanover County14.047Clay County: 14.005 %Clay County14.005Swain County: 13.991 %Swain County13.991Dare County: 13.964 %Dare County13.964Columbus County: 13.85 %Columbus County13.85Onslow County: 13.747 %Onslow County13.747Cumberland County: 13.345 %Cumberland County13.345Duplin County: 13.33 %Duplin County13.33Davie County: 13.196 %Davie County13.196Cherokee County: 13.175 %Cherokee County13.175Camden County: 13.146 %Camden County13.146Polk County: 13.111 %Polk County13.111Caldwell County: 12.986 %Caldwell County12.986Montgomery County: 12.902 %Montgomery County12.902Carteret County: 12.702 %Carteret County12.702Perquimans County: 12.509 %Perquimans County12.509Warren County: 12.317 %Warren County12.317Hoke County: 12.281 %Hoke County12.281
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012 (%)Change on 2011
1Jones County24.829+8.25 pts
2Avery County23.373+8.97 pts
3Hyde County20.277+8.13 pts
4Alleghany County19.962+7.32 pts
5Chatham County19.651+7.67 pts
6Edgecombe County18.752+6.22 pts
7Graham County18.748+0.93 pts
8Granville County18.452+10.07 pts
9Scotland County17.015+5.88 pts
10Ashe County17.001+7.5 pts
11Caswell County16.956+4.27 pts
12Currituck County16.527+4.27 pts
13Pender County15.999+2.36 pts
14Franklin County15.733-0.78 pts
15Macon County15.551+2.35 pts
16Rutherford County15.474+1.02 pts
17Brunswick County15.106+1.81 pts
18Beaufort County14.946+5.77 pts
19Bertie County14.579+4.6 pts
20Stokes County14.333-0.02 pts
21Person County14.2+5.16 pts
22Iredell County14.113+1.82 pts
23New Hanover County14.047+1.24 pts
24Clay County14.005+1.54 pts
25Swain County13.991-2.82 pts
26Dare County13.964-0.59 pts
27Columbus County13.85+0.29 pts
28Onslow County13.747+1.29 pts
29Cumberland County13.345+2.53 pts
30Duplin County13.33+6.1 pts
31Davie County13.196+1.1 pts
32Cherokee County13.175+4.39 pts
33Camden County13.146-4.31 pts
34Polk County13.111+0.48 pts
35Caldwell County12.986+4.39 pts
36Montgomery County12.902+2.08 pts
37Carteret County12.702-3.54 pts
38Perquimans County12.509+1.55 pts
39Warren County12.317+1.86 pts
40Hoke County12.281-2.46 pts
41Mecklenburg County11.948-0.11 pts
42Cabarrus County11.942-0.52 pts
43Halifax County11.846+0.32 pts
44Tyrrell County11.778+5.59 pts
45Buncombe County11.775+1.41 pts
46Harnett County11.745-2.72 pts
47Madison County11.681-1.21 pts
48Pamlico County11.64-0.6 pts
49Martin County11.603-4.61 pts
50Guilford County11.528+0.7 pts
51Johnston County11.5-0.82 pts
52Wake County11.491-1.49 pts
53Pasquotank County11.407-2.38 pts
54Craven County11.362-2.63 pts
55Vance County11.323+0.37 pts
56Wilson County11.298-4.44 pts
57Nash County11.262+1.26 pts
58Alamance County11.237+2.82 pts
59Randolph County11.214+2.38 pts
60Surry County11.188+1.68 pts
61Wayne County11.055+1.72 pts
62Greene County11.042-8.83 pts
63Haywood County11.007-0.51 pts
64Watauga County10.859-0.71 pts
65Rockingham County10.81-1 pts
66Jackson County10.697-2.02 pts
67Henderson County10.633-1.1 pts
68Burke County10.609+2.32 pts
69Lee County10.513-0.54 pts
70Union County10.336-2.03 pts
71Rowan County10.234-2.1 pts
72Stanly County10.21-2.2 pts
73Bladen County10.068-2.03 pts
74Forsyth County10.017-0.07 pts
75Lenoir County9.999-4.35 pts
76Transylvania County9.994-4.9 pts
77Davidson County9.99-0.22 pts
78Moore County9.961-0.37 pts
79Gates County9.897+0.63 pts
80Cleveland County9.845-0.14 pts
81Sampson County9.834+0.28 pts
82Robeson County9.788-3.78 pts
83Catawba County9.732+0.95 pts
84Gaston County9.675-1.65 pts
85Washington County9.666-6.55 pts
86Wilkes County9.664-2.86 pts
87McDowell County9.656+0.51 pts
88Richmond County9.482-1.25 pts
89Pitt County9.341-2.73 pts
90Chowan County9.009-2.89 pts
91Mitchell County8.903-0.67 pts
92Orange County8.885-3.12 pts
93Anson County8.775-5 pts
94Hertford County8.738-1.93 pts
95Lincoln County8.563-1.87 pts
96Yancey County8.385-3.45 pts
97Yadkin County7.98-2.28 pts
98Durham County7.499-0.61 pts
99Northampton County7.367+0.72 pts
100Alexander County7.221-1.95 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012) [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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012. 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-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012. 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-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012 [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-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012}},
  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-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Carolina by job destruction rate, 2012
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-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Jones County, with 24.829% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Alexander County, with 7.221% in 2012.

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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings