Data / Rankings / Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Knightdale, NC had the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 93 cities in 2022, at 77%. Pinehurst, NC had the lowest, at 44.7%. The median was 63.8% and the figure for North Carolina was 62.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest77Knightdale, NC
Lowest44.7Pinehurst, NC
Median63.893 cities
North Carolina62.6History

Top 40 cities, 2022

Knightdale, NC: 77 %Knightdale, NC77Jacksonville, NC: 76.9 %Jacksonville, NC76.9Indian Trail, NC: 76 %Indian Trail, NC76Havelock, NC: 75.1 %Havelock, NC75.1Morrisville, NC: 74.6 %Morrisville, NC74.6Apex, NC: 73.7 %Apex, NC73.7Holly Springs, NC: 73.6 %Holly Springs, NC73.6Huntersville, NC: 72.9 %Huntersville, NC72.9Carrboro, NC: 72.7 %Carrboro, NC72.7Wendell, NC: 72.4 %Wendell, NC72.4Charlotte, NC: 72.1 %Charlotte, NC72.1Mount Holly, NC: 71.7 %Mount Holly, NC71.7Stallings, NC: 70.9 %Stallings, NC70.9Clayton, NC: 70.2 %Clayton, NC70.2Wake Forest, NC: 70.1 %Wake Forest, NC70.1Cary, NC: 70.1 %Cary, NC70.1Waxhaw, NC: 70 %Waxhaw, NC70Harrisburg, NC: 70 %Harrisburg, NC70Raleigh, NC: 69.8 %Raleigh, NC69.8Durham, NC: 69.4 %Durham, NC69.4Concord, NC: 69.4 %Concord, NC69.4Garner, NC: 69.2 %Garner, NC69.2Aberdeen, NC: 68.8 %Aberdeen, NC68.8Mooresville, NC: 68.8 %Mooresville, NC68.8Winterville, NC: 68.7 %Winterville, NC68.7Mebane, NC: 68.6 %Mebane, NC68.6Fuquay-Varina, NC: 68.1 %Fuquay-Varina, NC68.1Rolesville, NC: 67.7 %Rolesville, NC67.7Matthews, NC: 67.1 %Matthews, NC67.1Spring Lake, NC: 66.8 %Spring Lake, NC66.8Fayetteville, NC: 66.4 %Fayetteville, NC66.4Lewisville, NC: 66.2 %Lewisville, NC66.2Kernersville, NC: 66 %Kernersville, NC66Pineville, NC: 65.7 %Pineville, NC65.7Belmont, NC: 65.7 %Belmont, NC65.7Weddington, NC: 65.6 %Weddington, NC65.6Cornelius, NC: 65.6 %Cornelius, NC65.6Greensboro, NC: 65.3 %Greensboro, NC65.3Kannapolis, NC: 65.2 %Kannapolis, NC65.2Mint Hill, NC: 64.9 %Mint Hill, NC64.9Knightdale, NC: 77 %Knightdale, NC77Jacksonville, NC: 76.9 %Jacksonville, NC76.9Indian Trail, NC: 76 %Indian Trail, NC76Havelock, NC: 75.1 %Havelock, NC75.1Morrisville, NC: 74.6 %Morrisville, NC74.6Apex, NC: 73.7 %Apex, NC73.7Holly Springs, NC: 73.6 %Holly Springs, NC73.6Huntersville, NC: 72.9 %Huntersville, NC72.9Carrboro, NC: 72.7 %Carrboro, NC72.7Wendell, NC: 72.4 %Wendell, NC72.4Charlotte, NC: 72.1 %Charlotte, NC72.1Mount Holly, NC: 71.7 %Mount Holly, NC71.7Stallings, NC: 70.9 %Stallings, NC70.9Clayton, NC: 70.2 %Clayton, NC70.2Wake Forest, NC: 70.1 %Wake Forest, NC70.1Cary, NC: 70.1 %Cary, NC70.1Waxhaw, NC: 70 %Waxhaw, NC70Harrisburg, NC: 70 %Harrisburg, NC70Raleigh, NC: 69.8 %Raleigh, NC69.8Durham, NC: 69.4 %Durham, NC69.4Concord, NC: 69.4 %Concord, NC69.4Garner, NC: 69.2 %Garner, NC69.2Aberdeen, NC: 68.8 %Aberdeen, NC68.8Mooresville, NC: 68.8 %Mooresville, NC68.8Winterville, NC: 68.7 %Winterville, NC68.7Mebane, NC: 68.6 %Mebane, NC68.6Fuquay-Varina, NC: 68.1 %Fuquay-Varina, NC68.1Rolesville, NC: 67.7 %Rolesville, NC67.7Matthews, NC: 67.1 %Matthews, NC67.1Spring Lake, NC: 66.8 %Spring Lake, NC66.8Fayetteville, NC: 66.4 %Fayetteville, NC66.4Lewisville, NC: 66.2 %Lewisville, NC66.2Kernersville, NC: 66 %Kernersville, NC66Pineville, NC: 65.7 %Pineville, NC65.7Belmont, NC: 65.7 %Belmont, NC65.7Weddington, NC: 65.6 %Weddington, NC65.6Cornelius, NC: 65.6 %Cornelius, NC65.6Greensboro, NC: 65.3 %Greensboro, NC65.3Kannapolis, NC: 65.2 %Kannapolis, NC65.2Mint Hill, NC: 64.9 %Mint Hill, NC64.9
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Knightdale, NC77-0.8 pts
2Jacksonville, NC76.9-1.5 pts
3Indian Trail, NC76+0.9 pts
4Havelock, NC75.1-2 pts
5Morrisville, NC74.6+0.9 pts
6Apex, NC73.7-0.2 pts
7Holly Springs, NC73.6-0.7 pts
8Huntersville, NC72.9+1.5 pts
9Carrboro, NC72.7-0.5 pts
10Wendell, NC72.4+2.5 pts
11Charlotte, NC72.10 pts
12Mount Holly, NC71.7-0.8 pts
13Stallings, NC70.9-0.3 pts
14Clayton, NC70.2-0.4 pts
15Wake Forest, NC70.1+0.9 pts
16Cary, NC70.1-0.1 pts
17Waxhaw, NC70-0.7 pts
18Harrisburg, NC70+0.4 pts
19Raleigh, NC69.8-0.3 pts
20Durham, NC69.4+1.2 pts
21Concord, NC69.4-1.1 pts
22Garner, NC69.2+0.4 pts
23Aberdeen, NC68.8+1.2 pts
24Mooresville, NC68.8+0.9 pts
25Winterville, NC68.7-0.3 pts
26Mebane, NC68.6+1 pts
27Fuquay-Varina, NC68.1+0.3 pts
28Rolesville, NC67.7+3.2 pts
29Matthews, NC67.1-0.7 pts
30Spring Lake, NC66.8+0.5 pts
31Fayetteville, NC66.4-0.4 pts
32Lewisville, NC66.2-0.5 pts
33Kernersville, NC66-0.2 pts
34Pineville, NC65.7-1 pts
35Belmont, NC65.7+0.5 pts
36Weddington, NC65.6-0.5 pts
37Cornelius, NC65.6+0.9 pts
38Greensboro, NC65.3-0.2 pts
39Kannapolis, NC65.2-0 pts
40Mint Hill, NC64.9-1.1 pts
41Monroe, NC64.50 pts
42Greenville, NC64.5+0.4 pts
43Statesville, NC64.3-2.3 pts
44Wilmington, NC64.2+0.7 pts
45Gastonia, NC64.2-0.8 pts
46Archdale, NC63.8+1.4 pts
47Burlington, NC63.8-0 pts
48Asheville, NC63.4-0.5 pts
49Sanford, NC63.2-2.2 pts
50High Point, NC62.6-0.6 pts
51Hope Mills, NC62.6-1.6 pts
52Summerfield, NC62.6+0.2 pts
53Winston-Salem, NC61.6+0.2 pts
54Davidson, NC61.5-1.8 pts
55Clemmons, NC61.3-1.7 pts
56Kings Mountain, NC61.1+0.1 pts
57Graham, NC610 pts
58Zebulon, NC60.5+2.8 pts
59Wilson, NC60.1-0.4 pts
60Hickory, NC59.8-1.4 pts
61New Bern, NC59.5+0.9 pts
62Rocky Mount, NC59.4+1 pts
63Elizabeth City, NC59.3+0.5 pts
64Southern Pines, NC59+0.4 pts
65Goldsboro, NC58.8+0.9 pts
66Thomasville, NC58.6-0.6 pts
67Lincolnton, NC58.5-1.1 pts
68Chapel Hill, NC58.2+0.6 pts
69Albemarle, NC58.2+1.5 pts
70Asheboro, NC57.8+0.7 pts
71Henderson, NC57.5+1.9 pts
72Morehead City, NC57.4-2.2 pts
73Salisbury, NC57.1-1.5 pts
74Newton, NC57.1+1.3 pts
75Waynesville, NC56.4-1.4 pts
76Eden, NC56.2-1.4 pts
77Roanoke Rapids, NC55.7+0.7 pts
78Shelby, NC55.4-1 pts
79Morganton, NC55.3+2.7 pts
80Lexington, NC54.9+3.6 pts
81Leland, NC54.8-0.6 pts
82Lenoir, NC53.9+0.8 pts
83Hendersonville, NC53.8-0.4 pts
84Boone, NC53.6+0.9 pts
85Laurinburg, NC51.7-0.1 pts
86Tarboro, NC50.3-0.6 pts
87Mount Airy, NC49.6-0.6 pts
88Lumberton, NC49.5-0.6 pts
89Reidsville, NC49.4+0.4 pts
90Kinston, NC49-0.7 pts
91Smithfield, NC48.6-0.7 pts
92Elon, NC45.4+9.8 pts
93Pinehurst, NC44.7-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 16 and over in the labor force (employed, unemployed or in the Armed Forces) as a percentage of all people aged 16 and over, including people in group quarters. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

The Census Bureau definition used in its data profiles. It differs from the BLS labor_force_participation_rate, which counts the civilian noninstitutional population only.

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

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. 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. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_north_carolina_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/labor-force-participation-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in North Carolina by labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Knightdale, NC, with 77% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Pinehurst, NC, with 44.7% in 2022.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: population 16 years and over in the labor force as a percentage of the population 16 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Labor force participation rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings