Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Boone, NC had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 93 cities in 2022, at 16.6%. Wendell, NC had the lowest, at 0.4%. The median was 5% and the figure for North Carolina was 5.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest16.6Boone, NC
Lowest0.4Wendell, NC
Median593 cities
North Carolina5.1History

Top 40 cities, 2022

Boone, NC: 16.6 %Boone, NC16.6Kinston, NC: 13.6 %Kinston, NC13.6Laurinburg, NC: 11.2 %Laurinburg, NC11.2Reidsville, NC: 10.1 %Reidsville, NC10.1Zebulon, NC: 9 %Zebulon, NC9Jacksonville, NC: 8.9 %Jacksonville, NC8.9Greenville, NC: 8.7 %Greenville, NC8.7Wilson, NC: 8.4 %Wilson, NC8.4Fayetteville, NC: 8.4 %Fayetteville, NC8.4Elizabeth City, NC: 8.3 %Elizabeth City, NC8.3Spring Lake, NC: 8.3 %Spring Lake, NC8.3Graham, NC: 8.1 %Graham, NC8.1Hope Mills, NC: 7.9 %Hope Mills, NC7.9Rocky Mount, NC: 7.8 %Rocky Mount, NC7.8Goldsboro, NC: 7.5 %Goldsboro, NC7.5Lincolnton, NC: 7.4 %Lincolnton, NC7.4Statesville, NC: 7.3 %Statesville, NC7.3Mount Airy, NC: 7.2 %Mount Airy, NC7.2Salisbury, NC: 7 %Salisbury, NC7Kings Mountain, NC: 6.8 %Kings Mountain, NC6.8Lenoir, NC: 6.8 %Lenoir, NC6.8Lumberton, NC: 6.7 %Lumberton, NC6.7Southern Pines, NC: 6.7 %Southern Pines, NC6.7Henderson, NC: 6.7 %Henderson, NC6.7Newton, NC: 6.7 %Newton, NC6.7Albemarle, NC: 6.6 %Albemarle, NC6.6Lexington, NC: 6.6 %Lexington, NC6.6Smithfield, NC: 6.5 %Smithfield, NC6.5Mount Holly, NC: 6.5 %Mount Holly, NC6.5Hickory, NC: 6.2 %Hickory, NC6.2Roanoke Rapids, NC: 6.2 %Roanoke Rapids, NC6.2Winston-Salem, NC: 6.2 %Winston-Salem, NC6.2High Point, NC: 6.2 %High Point, NC6.2Monroe, NC: 6.2 %Monroe, NC6.2Kannapolis, NC: 6.1 %Kannapolis, NC6.1Eden, NC: 6 %Eden, NC6Knightdale, NC: 5.9 %Knightdale, NC5.9Garner, NC: 5.8 %Garner, NC5.8Burlington, NC: 5.7 %Burlington, NC5.7Sanford, NC: 5.7 %Sanford, NC5.7Boone, NC: 16.6 %Boone, NC16.6Kinston, NC: 13.6 %Kinston, NC13.6Laurinburg, NC: 11.2 %Laurinburg, NC11.2Reidsville, NC: 10.1 %Reidsville, NC10.1Zebulon, NC: 9 %Zebulon, NC9Jacksonville, NC: 8.9 %Jacksonville, NC8.9Greenville, NC: 8.7 %Greenville, NC8.7Wilson, NC: 8.4 %Wilson, NC8.4Fayetteville, NC: 8.4 %Fayetteville, NC8.4Elizabeth City, NC: 8.3 %Elizabeth City, NC8.3Spring Lake, NC: 8.3 %Spring Lake, NC8.3Graham, NC: 8.1 %Graham, NC8.1Hope Mills, NC: 7.9 %Hope Mills, NC7.9Rocky Mount, NC: 7.8 %Rocky Mount, NC7.8Goldsboro, NC: 7.5 %Goldsboro, NC7.5Lincolnton, NC: 7.4 %Lincolnton, NC7.4Statesville, NC: 7.3 %Statesville, NC7.3Mount Airy, NC: 7.2 %Mount Airy, NC7.2Salisbury, NC: 7 %Salisbury, NC7Kings Mountain, NC: 6.8 %Kings Mountain, NC6.8Lenoir, NC: 6.8 %Lenoir, NC6.8Lumberton, NC: 6.7 %Lumberton, NC6.7Southern Pines, NC: 6.7 %Southern Pines, NC6.7Henderson, NC: 6.7 %Henderson, NC6.7Newton, NC: 6.7 %Newton, NC6.7Albemarle, NC: 6.6 %Albemarle, NC6.6Lexington, NC: 6.6 %Lexington, NC6.6Smithfield, NC: 6.5 %Smithfield, NC6.5Mount Holly, NC: 6.5 %Mount Holly, NC6.5Hickory, NC: 6.2 %Hickory, NC6.2Roanoke Rapids, NC: 6.2 %Roanoke Rapids, NC6.2Winston-Salem, NC: 6.2 %Winston-Salem, NC6.2High Point, NC: 6.2 %High Point, NC6.2Monroe, NC: 6.2 %Monroe, NC6.2Kannapolis, NC: 6.1 %Kannapolis, NC6.1Eden, NC: 6 %Eden, NC6Knightdale, NC: 5.9 %Knightdale, NC5.9Garner, NC: 5.8 %Garner, NC5.8Burlington, NC: 5.7 %Burlington, NC5.7Sanford, NC: 5.7 %Sanford, NC5.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Boone, NC16.6-0.1 pts
2Kinston, NC13.6-1.2 pts
3Laurinburg, NC11.2-1 pts
4Reidsville, NC10.1+0.7 pts
5Zebulon, NC9-1.3 pts
6Jacksonville, NC8.9-0.8 pts
7Greenville, NC8.7+0.7 pts
8Wilson, NC8.4-1.1 pts
9Fayetteville, NC8.4-0.2 pts
10Elizabeth City, NC8.3+1.2 pts
11Spring Lake, NC8.3-0.7 pts
12Graham, NC8.1+1.5 pts
13Hope Mills, NC7.9-0.1 pts
14Rocky Mount, NC7.8-1.6 pts
15Goldsboro, NC7.5-0.6 pts
16Lincolnton, NC7.4-1.2 pts
17Statesville, NC7.30 pts
18Mount Airy, NC7.2+0.1 pts
19Salisbury, NC7-1.7 pts
20Kings Mountain, NC6.8-1.3 pts
21Lenoir, NC6.8-0.9 pts
22Lumberton, NC6.7-0 pts
23Southern Pines, NC6.7+0.8 pts
24Henderson, NC6.7-0.5 pts
25Newton, NC6.7+1.2 pts
26Albemarle, NC6.6-0.3 pts
27Lexington, NC6.6-4.1 pts
28Smithfield, NC6.50 pts
29Mount Holly, NC6.5-0.5 pts
30Hickory, NC6.2-1.2 pts
30Roanoke Rapids, NC6.20 pts
32Winston-Salem, NC6.2+0.4 pts
33High Point, NC6.2-0.4 pts
33Monroe, NC6.2-0.5 pts
35Kannapolis, NC6.1-1.7 pts
36Eden, NC6-1.8 pts
37Knightdale, NC5.9+1.6 pts
38Garner, NC5.8-0.3 pts
39Burlington, NC5.7-0.3 pts
40Sanford, NC5.7-0.2 pts
41Gastonia, NC5.6-0.1 pts
42Greensboro, NC5.6-0.8 pts
43Asheboro, NC5.5-1.7 pts
44Morganton, NC5.4+0.7 pts
45Indian Trail, NC5.3-0 pts
46Thomasville, NC5.2-1.9 pts
47Clemmons, NC5-0.2 pts
48Wilmington, NC4.9-0.4 pts
49Mint Hill, NC4.9+0.3 pts
50Stallings, NC4.8-0.2 pts
51Charlotte, NC4.7-0.2 pts
51Havelock, NC4.7-0.8 pts
53Concord, NC4.7+0.1 pts
54Chapel Hill, NC4.7-1.1 pts
55New Bern, NC4.5-1 pts
55Raleigh, NC4.50 pts
57Belmont, NC4.4+0.3 pts
58Wake Forest, NC4.3-0.3 pts
59Durham, NC4.3-0.4 pts
60Pinehurst, NC4.2-0.9 pts
61Winterville, NC4.1-0.7 pts
62Huntersville, NC4.1+0.4 pts
63Apex, NC4.1-0.3 pts
64Asheville, NC4.1+0.1 pts
65Mooresville, NC3.9+0.3 pts
66Pineville, NC3.9+0.1 pts
67Elon, NC3.9-0.2 pts
68Leland, NC3.8-0.5 pts
69Shelby, NC3.8-1.5 pts
70Aberdeen, NC3.7+1.8 pts
71Morehead City, NC3.7+0.1 pts
71Rolesville, NC3.7-1.8 pts
73Morrisville, NC3.6+0.1 pts
74Lewisville, NC3.6-0.1 pts
75Carrboro, NC3.6-1.2 pts
76Holly Springs, NC3.5-0.7 pts
77Mebane, NC3.5-1.7 pts
78Fuquay-Varina, NC3.4-0.3 pts
79Cornelius, NC3.4-1 pts
80Harrisburg, NC3.4+0.1 pts
81Cary, NC3.4-0.4 pts
82Tarboro, NC3.3-1.7 pts
83Waxhaw, NC3.3-0.2 pts
84Matthews, NC30 pts
85Kernersville, NC3-0.9 pts
86Summerfield, NC2.9+1.1 pts
87Davidson, NC2.4-0.4 pts
88Waynesville, NC2.3-0.2 pts
89Weddington, NC2.20 pts
90Hendersonville, NC2.2+0.8 pts
91Clayton, NC1.8-0.6 pts
92Archdale, NC1.6-2.5 pts
93Wendell, NC0.4-0.7 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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/unemployment-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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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/unemployment-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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in North Carolina by unemployment 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/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-cities?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 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 unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Boone, NC, with 16.6% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Wendell, NC, with 0.4% 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: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings