Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Washington County had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 100 counties in 2024, at 13%. Hyde County had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 4.8% and the figure for North Carolina was 4.7%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest13Washington County
Lowest2.5Hyde County
Median4.8100 counties
North Carolina4.7History

Map of counties, 2024

Alamance County: 5.1 %Alexander County: 5 %Alleghany County: 3.7 %Anson County: 5.5 %Ashe County: 4.8 %Avery County: 4.9 %Beaufort County: 3.9 %Bertie County: 5.1 %Bladen County: 5.4 %Brunswick County: 4.7 %Buncombe County: 4.3 %Burke County: 4.4 %Cabarrus County: 4.6 %Caldwell County: 5 %Camden County: 5.5 %Carteret County: 4 %Caswell County: 5.2 %Catawba County: 3.7 %Chatham County: 2.9 %Cherokee County: 4.1 %Chowan County: 4.1 %Clay County: 2.7 %Cleveland County: 5.2 %Columbus County: 4.4 %Craven County: 4.2 %Cumberland County: 7.6 %Currituck County: 3 %Dare County: 5.9 %Davidson County: 4.1 %Davie County: 4.7 %Duplin County: 5.3 %Durham County: 3.9 %Edgecombe County: 8.7 %Forsyth County: 5.1 %Franklin County: 4.6 %Gaston County: 4.8 %Gates County: 5.9 %Graham County: 7 %Granville County: 4.6 %Greene County: 5.7 %Guilford County: 4.6 %Halifax County: 9.3 %Harnett County: 4.7 %Haywood County: 3.1 %Henderson County: 3.5 %Hertford County: 6 %Hoke County: 6.6 %Hyde County: 2.5 %Iredell County: 4.2 %Jackson County: 4.9 %Johnston County: 3.8 %Jones County: 4.4 %Lee County: 3.8 %Lenoir County: 9 %Lincoln County: 3.3 %McDowell County: 4.1 %Macon County: 2.8 %Madison County: 3.1 %Martin County: 6.1 %Mecklenburg County: 4.3 %Mitchell County: 6.5 %Montgomery County: 2.9 %Moore County: 4.8 %Nash County: 5 %New Hanover County: 4.5 %Northampton County: 8.1 %Onslow County: 5.4 %Orange County: 3.6 %Pamlico County: 5.1 %Pasquotank County: 5.9 %Pender County: 4.8 %Perquimans County: 3.6 %Person County: 5.6 %Pitt County: 7.8 %Polk County: 5.1 %Randolph County: 3.5 %Richmond County: 9.8 %Robeson County: 6 %Rockingham County: 5.8 %Rowan County: 5.3 %Rutherford County: 6.4 %Sampson County: 5.3 %Scotland County: 10.9 %Stanly County: 4.1 %Stokes County: 3.1 %Surry County: 4.4 %Swain County: 7.6 %Transylvania County: 2.8 %Tyrrell County: 2.8 %Union County: 4.2 %Vance County: 8.2 %Wake County: 4.1 %Warren County: 7.2 %Washington County: 13 %Watauga County: 7.9 %Wayne County: 5.2 %Wilkes County: 5 %Wilson County: 5.6 %Yadkin County: 5.3 %Yancey County: 7.3 %
  • Under 3.7
  • 3.7 to 4.3
  • 4.3 to 4.8
  • 4.8 to 5.3
  • 5.3 to 6.4
  • 6.4 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Washington County: 13 %Washington County13Scotland County: 10.9 %Scotland County10.9Richmond County: 9.8 %Richmond County9.8Halifax County: 9.3 %Halifax County9.3Lenoir County: 9 %Lenoir County9Edgecombe County: 8.7 %Edgecombe County8.7Vance County: 8.2 %Vance County8.2Northampton County: 8.1 %Northampton County8.1Watauga County: 7.9 %Watauga County7.9Pitt County: 7.8 %Pitt County7.8Cumberland County: 7.6 %Cumberland County7.6Swain County: 7.6 %Swain County7.6Yancey County: 7.3 %Yancey County7.3Warren County: 7.2 %Warren County7.2Graham County: 7 %Graham County7Hoke County: 6.6 %Hoke County6.6Mitchell County: 6.5 %Mitchell County6.5Rutherford County: 6.4 %Rutherford County6.4Martin County: 6.1 %Martin County6.1Hertford County: 6 %Hertford County6Robeson County: 6 %Robeson County6Dare County: 5.9 %Dare County5.9Gates County: 5.9 %Gates County5.9Pasquotank County: 5.9 %Pasquotank County5.9Rockingham County: 5.8 %Rockingham County5.8Greene County: 5.7 %Greene County5.7Wilson County: 5.6 %Wilson County5.6Person County: 5.6 %Person County5.6Anson County: 5.5 %Anson County5.5Camden County: 5.5 %Camden County5.5Bladen County: 5.4 %Bladen County5.4Onslow County: 5.4 %Onslow County5.4Duplin County: 5.3 %Duplin County5.3Rowan County: 5.3 %Rowan County5.3Yadkin County: 5.3 %Yadkin County5.3Sampson County: 5.3 %Sampson County5.3Wayne County: 5.2 %Wayne County5.2Cleveland County: 5.2 %Cleveland County5.2Caswell County: 5.2 %Caswell County5.2Pamlico County: 5.1 %Pamlico County5.1Washington County: 13 %Washington County13Scotland County: 10.9 %Scotland County10.9Richmond County: 9.8 %Richmond County9.8Halifax County: 9.3 %Halifax County9.3Lenoir County: 9 %Lenoir County9Edgecombe County: 8.7 %Edgecombe County8.7Vance County: 8.2 %Vance County8.2Northampton County: 8.1 %Northampton County8.1Watauga County: 7.9 %Watauga County7.9Pitt County: 7.8 %Pitt County7.8Cumberland County: 7.6 %Cumberland County7.6Swain County: 7.6 %Swain County7.6Yancey County: 7.3 %Yancey County7.3Warren County: 7.2 %Warren County7.2Graham County: 7 %Graham County7Hoke County: 6.6 %Hoke County6.6Mitchell County: 6.5 %Mitchell County6.5Rutherford County: 6.4 %Rutherford County6.4Martin County: 6.1 %Martin County6.1Hertford County: 6 %Hertford County6Robeson County: 6 %Robeson County6Dare County: 5.9 %Dare County5.9Gates County: 5.9 %Gates County5.9Pasquotank County: 5.9 %Pasquotank County5.9Rockingham County: 5.8 %Rockingham County5.8Greene County: 5.7 %Greene County5.7Wilson County: 5.6 %Wilson County5.6Person County: 5.6 %Person County5.6Anson County: 5.5 %Anson County5.5Camden County: 5.5 %Camden County5.5Bladen County: 5.4 %Bladen County5.4Onslow County: 5.4 %Onslow County5.4Duplin County: 5.3 %Duplin County5.3Rowan County: 5.3 %Rowan County5.3Yadkin County: 5.3 %Yadkin County5.3Sampson County: 5.3 %Sampson County5.3Wayne County: 5.2 %Wayne County5.2Cleveland County: 5.2 %Cleveland County5.2Caswell County: 5.2 %Caswell County5.2Pamlico County: 5.1 %Pamlico County5.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Washington County13+1.8 pts
2Scotland County10.9+0.8 pts
3Richmond County9.8+0.2 pts
4Halifax County9.3+0.6 pts
5Lenoir County9+1.8 pts
6Edgecombe County8.7+0.8 pts
7Vance County8.2+1.4 pts
8Northampton County8.1+1.6 pts
9Watauga County7.9-1.1 pts
10Pitt County7.8+0.3 pts
11Cumberland County7.6-0.1 pts
12Swain County7.6-0.7 pts
13Yancey County7.3+1.3 pts
14Warren County7.2-0.8 pts
15Graham County7+0.6 pts
16Hoke County6.6-0.8 pts
17Mitchell County6.5-0 pts
18Rutherford County6.4+0.8 pts
19Martin County6.1-0.9 pts
20Hertford County6+0.7 pts
21Robeson County6-0.3 pts
22Dare County5.9+0.1 pts
23Gates County5.9-3.1 pts
23Pasquotank County5.9-0.7 pts
25Rockingham County5.8-0.5 pts
26Greene County5.7+0.1 pts
27Wilson County5.6-0.4 pts
28Person County5.6+1.7 pts
29Anson County5.5-1.4 pts
30Camden County5.5+0.6 pts
31Bladen County5.4+1.2 pts
32Onslow County5.4-0.4 pts
33Duplin County5.3+0.6 pts
33Rowan County5.3-0.6 pts
35Yadkin County5.3-0.1 pts
36Sampson County5.30 pts
37Wayne County5.2-0.2 pts
38Cleveland County5.2-0.5 pts
39Caswell County5.2-0.5 pts
40Pamlico County5.1+0.7 pts
41Bertie County5.1-3.3 pts
42Polk County5.1+0.7 pts
43Alamance County5.1+0.2 pts
44Forsyth County5.1-0.3 pts
45Caldwell County5+0.3 pts
46Alexander County5-0.1 pts
47Wilkes County5+0.1 pts
48Nash County5-1.3 pts
49Jackson County4.9-1.5 pts
50Avery County4.90 pts
51Moore County4.8+0.2 pts
52Pender County4.8-1.2 pts
53Ashe County4.8-0.6 pts
54Gaston County4.8-0 pts
55Davie County4.7+0.2 pts
56Harnett County4.7-0.3 pts
57Brunswick County4.7-0.5 pts
58Cabarrus County4.6+0.1 pts
59Franklin County4.6-0.9 pts
60Granville County4.6+0.1 pts
60Guilford County4.6-0.2 pts
62New Hanover County4.5-0.2 pts
63Columbus County4.4-0.3 pts
64Burke County4.4-0.5 pts
64Surry County4.4-0.6 pts
66Jones County4.4+0.2 pts
67Mecklenburg County4.3+0.1 pts
68Buncombe County4.3+0.8 pts
69Craven County4.2-0.3 pts
70Union County4.20 pts
71Iredell County4.2-0.2 pts
72Chowan County4.1-1.8 pts
73Davidson County4.10 pts
73Wake County4.1-0.1 pts
75Cherokee County4.1-1.3 pts
75McDowell County4.1-0.6 pts
77Stanly County4.1-0 pts
78Carteret County4-0.3 pts
79Beaufort County3.9-1.5 pts
80Durham County3.9-0.3 pts
81Lee County3.8-0.2 pts
82Johnston County3.8-0.1 pts
83Alleghany County3.7-1.7 pts
84Catawba County3.7-0.5 pts
85Orange County3.60 pts
86Perquimans County3.6-1.5 pts
87Randolph County3.5-0.2 pts
88Henderson County3.5+0.1 pts
89Lincoln County3.3-0.2 pts
90Madison County3.1+0.6 pts
90Stokes County3.1-1.4 pts
92Haywood County3.1-0.3 pts
93Currituck County30 pts
94Chatham County2.9-0.1 pts
95Montgomery County2.9-0 pts
96Tyrrell County2.8-2.3 pts
97Macon County2.8-0.1 pts
98Transylvania County2.8-0.8 pts
99Clay County2.7-1.6 pts
100Hyde County2.5-0.5 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 counties 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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 (Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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, Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties. 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. Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties.

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, Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2024,
  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: Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties. 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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-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: Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/north-carolina-counties.
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. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

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

Washington County, with 13% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Hyde County, with 2.5% in 2024.

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. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings