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 2019, at 27.371%. Northampton County had the lowest, at 4.552%. The median was 10.026% and the figure for North Carolina was 10.261%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest27.371Jones County
Lowest4.552Northampton County
Median10.026100 counties
North Carolina10.261History

Map of counties, 2019

Alamance County: 9.428 %Alexander County: 6.049 %Alleghany County: 9.117 %Anson County: 14.666 %Ashe County: 8.443 %Avery County: 10.552 %Beaufort County: 11.218 %Bertie County: 6.094 %Bladen County: 6.329 %Brunswick County: 10.006 %Buncombe County: 16.779 %Burke County: 11.304 %Cabarrus County: 10.329 %Caldwell County: 14.881 %Camden County: 12.011 %Carteret County: 11.607 %Caswell County: 18.779 %Catawba County: 8.063 %Chatham County: 10.746 %Cherokee County: 7.986 %Chowan County: 10.001 %Clay County: 9.116 %Cleveland County: 8.79 %Columbus County: 9.112 %Craven County: 9.186 %Cumberland County: 9.509 %Currituck County: 11.729 %Dare County: 10.481 %Davidson County: 11.281 %Davie County: 9.573 %Duplin County: 8.265 %Durham County: 6.633 %Edgecombe County: 11.286 %Forsyth County: 14.788 %Franklin County: 8.31 %Gaston County: 9.293 %Gates County: 8.795 %Graham County: 16.874 %Granville County: 8.416 %Greene County: 13.752 %Guilford County: 10.774 %Halifax County: 10.578 %Harnett County: 10.365 %Haywood County: 9.633 %Henderson County: 10.045 %Hertford County: 6.421 %Hoke County: 8.053 %Hyde County: 14.994 %Iredell County: 9.093 %Jackson County: 8.14 %Johnston County: 10.388 %Jones County: 27.371 %Lee County: 11.581 %Lenoir County: 8.625 %Lincoln County: 8.578 %McDowell County: 10.209 %Macon County: 12.335 %Madison County: 9.857 %Martin County: 14.968 %Mecklenburg County: 9.805 %Mitchell County: 12.521 %Montgomery County: 7.74 %Moore County: 9.569 %Nash County: 9.46 %New Hanover County: 10.285 %Northampton County: 4.552 %Onslow County: 13.51 %Orange County: 9.521 %Pamlico County: 11.734 %Pasquotank County: 11.725 %Pender County: 12.242 %Perquimans County: 10.385 %Person County: 12.32 %Pitt County: 9.416 %Polk County: 10.394 %Randolph County: 8.559 %Richmond County: 9.13 %Robeson County: 8.421 %Rockingham County: 14.155 %Rowan County: 7.449 %Rutherford County: 14.278 %Sampson County: 11.546 %Scotland County: 11.442 %Stanly County: 9.873 %Stokes County: 8.634 %Surry County: 8.657 %Swain County: 10.083 %Transylvania County: 12.928 %Tyrrell County: 25.866 %Union County: 11.12 %Vance County: 9.392 %Wake County: 9.599 %Warren County: 12.005 %Washington County: 10.799 %Watauga County: 7.704 %Wayne County: 9.76 %Wilkes County: 10.497 %Wilson County: 8.485 %Yadkin County: 17.11 %Yancey County: 9.23 %
  • Under 8.4
  • 8.4 to 9.3
  • 9.3 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2019. 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, 2019

Jones County: 27.371 %Jones County27.371Tyrrell County: 25.866 %Tyrrell County25.866Caswell County: 18.779 %Caswell County18.779Yadkin County: 17.11 %Yadkin County17.11Graham County: 16.874 %Graham County16.874Buncombe County: 16.779 %Buncombe County16.779Hyde County: 14.994 %Hyde County14.994Martin County: 14.968 %Martin County14.968Caldwell County: 14.881 %Caldwell County14.881Forsyth County: 14.788 %Forsyth County14.788Anson County: 14.666 %Anson County14.666Rutherford County: 14.278 %Rutherford County14.278Rockingham County: 14.155 %Rockingham County14.155Greene County: 13.752 %Greene County13.752Onslow County: 13.51 %Onslow County13.51Transylvania County: 12.928 %Transylvania County12.928Mitchell County: 12.521 %Mitchell County12.521Macon County: 12.335 %Macon County12.335Person County: 12.32 %Person County12.32Pender County: 12.242 %Pender County12.242Camden County: 12.011 %Camden County12.011Warren County: 12.005 %Warren County12.005Pamlico County: 11.734 %Pamlico County11.734Currituck County: 11.729 %Currituck County11.729Pasquotank County: 11.725 %Pasquotank County11.725Carteret County: 11.607 %Carteret County11.607Lee County: 11.581 %Lee County11.581Sampson County: 11.546 %Sampson County11.546Scotland County: 11.442 %Scotland County11.442Burke County: 11.304 %Burke County11.304Edgecombe County: 11.286 %Edgecombe County11.286Davidson County: 11.281 %Davidson County11.281Beaufort County: 11.218 %Beaufort County11.218Union County: 11.12 %Union County11.12Washington County: 10.799 %Washington County10.799Guilford County: 10.774 %Guilford County10.774Chatham County: 10.746 %Chatham County10.746Halifax County: 10.578 %Halifax County10.578Avery County: 10.552 %Avery County10.552Wilkes County: 10.497 %Wilkes County10.497Jones County: 27.371 %Jones County27.371Tyrrell County: 25.866 %Tyrrell County25.866Caswell County: 18.779 %Caswell County18.779Yadkin County: 17.11 %Yadkin County17.11Graham County: 16.874 %Graham County16.874Buncombe County: 16.779 %Buncombe County16.779Hyde County: 14.994 %Hyde County14.994Martin County: 14.968 %Martin County14.968Caldwell County: 14.881 %Caldwell County14.881Forsyth County: 14.788 %Forsyth County14.788Anson County: 14.666 %Anson County14.666Rutherford County: 14.278 %Rutherford County14.278Rockingham County: 14.155 %Rockingham County14.155Greene County: 13.752 %Greene County13.752Onslow County: 13.51 %Onslow County13.51Transylvania County: 12.928 %Transylvania County12.928Mitchell County: 12.521 %Mitchell County12.521Macon County: 12.335 %Macon County12.335Person County: 12.32 %Person County12.32Pender County: 12.242 %Pender County12.242Camden County: 12.011 %Camden County12.011Warren County: 12.005 %Warren County12.005Pamlico County: 11.734 %Pamlico County11.734Currituck County: 11.729 %Currituck County11.729Pasquotank County: 11.725 %Pasquotank County11.725Carteret County: 11.607 %Carteret County11.607Lee County: 11.581 %Lee County11.581Sampson County: 11.546 %Sampson County11.546Scotland County: 11.442 %Scotland County11.442Burke County: 11.304 %Burke County11.304Edgecombe County: 11.286 %Edgecombe County11.286Davidson County: 11.281 %Davidson County11.281Beaufort County: 11.218 %Beaufort County11.218Union County: 11.12 %Union County11.12Washington County: 10.799 %Washington County10.799Guilford County: 10.774 %Guilford County10.774Chatham County: 10.746 %Chatham County10.746Halifax County: 10.578 %Halifax County10.578Avery County: 10.552 %Avery County10.552Wilkes County: 10.497 %Wilkes County10.497
%. 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

RankCounties2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Jones County27.371+3.64 pts
2Tyrrell County25.866+17.92 pts
3Caswell County18.779+10.88 pts
4Yadkin County17.11+8.97 pts
5Graham County16.874+5.11 pts
6Buncombe County16.779+5.35 pts
7Hyde County14.994-2.4 pts
8Martin County14.968+3.52 pts
9Caldwell County14.881+3.94 pts
10Forsyth County14.788+5.38 pts
11Anson County14.666+5.4 pts
12Rutherford County14.278+3.4 pts
13Rockingham County14.155+3.19 pts
14Greene County13.752-0.08 pts
15Onslow County13.51+4.05 pts
16Transylvania County12.928+2.07 pts
17Mitchell County12.521-4.45 pts
18Macon County12.335+0.89 pts
19Person County12.32-0.93 pts
20Pender County12.242+0.67 pts
21Camden County12.011-7.53 pts
22Warren County12.005+4.02 pts
23Pamlico County11.734+1.68 pts
24Currituck County11.729+1.79 pts
25Pasquotank County11.725-0.74 pts
26Carteret County11.607+0.98 pts
27Lee County11.581+5.07 pts
28Sampson County11.546-0.73 pts
29Scotland County11.442+1.04 pts
30Burke County11.304+1.12 pts
31Edgecombe County11.286-0.41 pts
32Davidson County11.281+0.92 pts
33Beaufort County11.218+1.21 pts
34Union County11.12+1.23 pts
35Washington County10.799+2.39 pts
36Guilford County10.774-1.18 pts
37Chatham County10.746-1.87 pts
38Halifax County10.578+1.21 pts
39Avery County10.552-3.11 pts
40Wilkes County10.497-0.85 pts
41Dare County10.481-1.15 pts
42Polk County10.394-2.6 pts
43Johnston County10.388-0.24 pts
44Perquimans County10.385-8.87 pts
45Harnett County10.365-0.96 pts
46Cabarrus County10.329-0.32 pts
47New Hanover County10.285-0.57 pts
48McDowell County10.209+1.09 pts
49Swain County10.083-6.87 pts
50Henderson County10.045+1.26 pts
51Brunswick County10.006-4.79 pts
52Chowan County10.001+2.11 pts
53Stanly County9.873+0.44 pts
54Madison County9.857-7.87 pts
55Mecklenburg County9.805-2.89 pts
56Wayne County9.76-0.46 pts
57Haywood County9.633+0.33 pts
58Wake County9.599-1.95 pts
59Davie County9.573-0.45 pts
60Moore County9.569+1.25 pts
61Orange County9.521+1.8 pts
62Cumberland County9.509-1.81 pts
63Nash County9.46-0.36 pts
64Alamance County9.428-2.99 pts
65Pitt County9.416-0.21 pts
66Vance County9.392-3.49 pts
67Gaston County9.293+0.23 pts
68Yancey County9.23+0.08 pts
69Craven County9.186+0.2 pts
70Richmond County9.13-0.34 pts
71Alleghany County9.117-6.58 pts
72Clay County9.116+0.44 pts
73Columbus County9.112-0.43 pts
74Iredell County9.093-0.31 pts
75Gates County8.795-8.83 pts
76Cleveland County8.79-0.29 pts
77Surry County8.657-1.72 pts
78Stokes County8.634-6.72 pts
79Lenoir County8.625+0.55 pts
80Lincoln County8.578-1.83 pts
81Randolph County8.559-1.27 pts
82Wilson County8.485-0.52 pts
83Ashe County8.443+0.08 pts
84Robeson County8.421-1.12 pts
85Granville County8.416-2.01 pts
86Franklin County8.31-2.61 pts
87Duplin County8.265-3.97 pts
88Jackson County8.14-0.73 pts
89Catawba County8.063-0.88 pts
90Hoke County8.053-2.63 pts
91Cherokee County7.986-4.06 pts
92Montgomery County7.74-5.15 pts
93Watauga County7.704-3.89 pts
94Rowan County7.449-0.15 pts
95Durham County6.633-2.49 pts
96Hertford County6.421-0.14 pts
97Bladen County6.329-1.23 pts
98Bertie County6.094+0.48 pts
99Alexander County6.049-1.26 pts
100Northampton County4.552-2.77 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2019.
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 27.371% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Northampton County, with 4.552% in 2019.

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