Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Cities in North Carolina

Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate

Rocky Mount, NC had the highest unemployment rate of 44 cities in December 2025, at 5.6%. Morrisville, NC had the lowest, at 2.7%. The median was 3.35% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.8%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest5.6Rocky Mount, NC
Lowest2.7Morrisville, NC
Median3.3544 cities
North Carolina3.8History

All cities, December 2025

Rocky Mount, NC: 5.6 %Rocky Mount, NC5.6Wilson, NC: 4.9 %Wilson, NC4.9Jacksonville, NC: 4.6 %Jacksonville, NC4.6Kinston, NC: 4.6 %Kinston, NC4.6Fayetteville, NC: 4.5 %Fayetteville, NC4.5Goldsboro, NC: 4.3 %Goldsboro, NC4.3High Point, NC: 4.2 %High Point, NC4.2Greensboro, NC: 4 %Greensboro, NC4Greenville, NC: 4 %Greenville, NC4Salisbury, NC: 4 %Salisbury, NC4Gastonia, NC: 3.9 %Gastonia, NC3.9Winston-Salem, NC: 3.9 %Winston-Salem, NC3.9Burlington, NC: 3.7 %Burlington, NC3.7Monroe, NC: 3.7 %Monroe, NC3.7Sanford, NC: 3.7 %Sanford, NC3.7Thomasville, NC: 3.7 %Thomasville, NC3.7Asheboro, NC: 3.6 %Asheboro, NC3.6Chapel Hill, NC: 3.6 %Chapel Hill, NC3.6Charlotte, NC: 3.6 %Charlotte, NC3.6Mooresville, NC: 3.6 %Mooresville, NC3.6Kannapolis, NC: 3.5 %Kannapolis, NC3.5Statesville, NC: 3.4 %Statesville, NC3.4Asheville, NC: 3.3 %Asheville, NC3.3Concord, NC: 3.3 %Concord, NC3.3Hickory, NC: 3.3 %Hickory, NC3.3Kernersville, NC: 3.3 %Kernersville, NC3.3Clayton, NC: 3.2 %Clayton, NC3.2Garner, NC: 3.2 %Garner, NC3.2Matthews, NC: 3.2 %Matthews, NC3.2New Bern, NC: 3.2 %New Bern, NC3.2Wilmington, NC: 3.2 %Wilmington, NC3.2Durham, NC: 3.1 %Durham, NC3.1Leland, NC: 3.1 %Leland, NC3.1Mint Hill, NC: 3.1 %Mint Hill, NC3.1Wake Forest, NC: 3.1 %Wake Forest, NC3.1Fuquay-Varina, NC: 3 %Fuquay-Varina, NC3Huntersville, NC: 3 %Huntersville, NC3Raleigh, NC: 3 %Raleigh, NC3Holly Springs, NC: 2.9 %Holly Springs, NC2.9Cary, NC: 2.8 %Cary, NC2.8Cornelius, NC: 2.8 %Cornelius, NC2.8Indian Trail, NC: 2.8 %Indian Trail, NC2.8Apex, NC: 2.7 %Apex, NC2.7Morrisville, NC: 2.7 %Morrisville, NC2.7Rocky Mount, NC: 5.6 %Rocky Mount, NC5.6Wilson, NC: 4.9 %Wilson, NC4.9Jacksonville, NC: 4.6 %Jacksonville, NC4.6Kinston, NC: 4.6 %Kinston, NC4.6Fayetteville, NC: 4.5 %Fayetteville, NC4.5Goldsboro, NC: 4.3 %Goldsboro, NC4.3High Point, NC: 4.2 %High Point, NC4.2Greensboro, NC: 4 %Greensboro, NC4Greenville, NC: 4 %Greenville, NC4Salisbury, NC: 4 %Salisbury, NC4Gastonia, NC: 3.9 %Gastonia, NC3.9Winston-Salem, NC: 3.9 %Winston-Salem, NC3.9Burlington, NC: 3.7 %Burlington, NC3.7Monroe, NC: 3.7 %Monroe, NC3.7Sanford, NC: 3.7 %Sanford, NC3.7Thomasville, NC: 3.7 %Thomasville, NC3.7Asheboro, NC: 3.6 %Asheboro, NC3.6Chapel Hill, NC: 3.6 %Chapel Hill, NC3.6Charlotte, NC: 3.6 %Charlotte, NC3.6Mooresville, NC: 3.6 %Mooresville, NC3.6Kannapolis, NC: 3.5 %Kannapolis, NC3.5Statesville, NC: 3.4 %Statesville, NC3.4Asheville, NC: 3.3 %Asheville, NC3.3Concord, NC: 3.3 %Concord, NC3.3Hickory, NC: 3.3 %Hickory, NC3.3Kernersville, NC: 3.3 %Kernersville, NC3.3Clayton, NC: 3.2 %Clayton, NC3.2Garner, NC: 3.2 %Garner, NC3.2Matthews, NC: 3.2 %Matthews, NC3.2New Bern, NC: 3.2 %New Bern, NC3.2Wilmington, NC: 3.2 %Wilmington, NC3.2Durham, NC: 3.1 %Durham, NC3.1Leland, NC: 3.1 %Leland, NC3.1Mint Hill, NC: 3.1 %Mint Hill, NC3.1Wake Forest, NC: 3.1 %Wake Forest, NC3.1Fuquay-Varina, NC: 3 %Fuquay-Varina, NC3Huntersville, NC: 3 %Huntersville, NC3Raleigh, NC: 3 %Raleigh, NC3Holly Springs, NC: 2.9 %Holly Springs, NC2.9Cary, NC: 2.8 %Cary, NC2.8Cornelius, NC: 2.8 %Cornelius, NC2.8Indian Trail, NC: 2.8 %Indian Trail, NC2.8Apex, NC: 2.7 %Apex, NC2.7Morrisville, NC: 2.7 %Morrisville, NC2.7
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesDecember 2025 (%)Change on December 2024
1Rocky Mount, NC5.6+0.5 pts
2Wilson, NC4.9+0.1 pts
3Jacksonville, NC4.60 pts
3Kinston, NC4.6-0.2 pts
5Fayetteville, NC4.50 pts
6Goldsboro, NC4.3+0.1 pts
7High Point, NC4.2+0.1 pts
8Greensboro, NC4+0.1 pts
8Greenville, NC40 pts
8Salisbury, NC4+0.1 pts
11Gastonia, NC3.9+0.1 pts
11Winston-Salem, NC3.9+0.2 pts
13Burlington, NC3.7+0.4 pts
13Monroe, NC3.7+0.3 pts
13Sanford, NC3.7+0.3 pts
13Thomasville, NC3.7-0.2 pts
17Asheboro, NC3.6+0.2 pts
17Chapel Hill, NC3.6+0.1 pts
17Charlotte, NC3.6+0.1 pts
17Mooresville, NC3.6+0.2 pts
21Kannapolis, NC3.5+0.2 pts
22Statesville, NC3.4-0.4 pts
23Asheville, NC3.3-4.4 pts
23Concord, NC3.30 pts
23Hickory, NC3.30 pts
23Kernersville, NC3.3+0.2 pts
27Clayton, NC3.2+0.2 pts
27Garner, NC3.2+0.2 pts
27Matthews, NC3.2+0.1 pts
27New Bern, NC3.20 pts
27Wilmington, NC3.2-0.1 pts
32Durham, NC3.1+0.2 pts
32Leland, NC3.1+0.1 pts
32Mint Hill, NC3.1-0.1 pts
32Wake Forest, NC3.10 pts
36Fuquay-Varina, NC3+0.3 pts
36Huntersville, NC3+0.1 pts
36Raleigh, NC30 pts
39Holly Springs, NC2.9+0.2 pts
40Cary, NC2.8+0.2 pts
40Cornelius, NC2.8-0.3 pts
40Indian Trail, NC2.80 pts
43Apex, NC2.7+0.1 pts
43Morrisville, NC2.7+0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over.
  • EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74.
  • United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states, counties and cities.
  • United Kingdom regions: Labour Force Survey, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted.
  • Canada: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the country and the provinces.
  • Australia: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the nation and the six states; the ABS publishes no seasonally adjusted series for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • New Zealand: Household Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted for the country and not seasonally adjusted for regional council areas.
  • Norway: Statistics Norway Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted monthly figures.
  • Sweden: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted and smoothed (the series Statistics Sweden gives in its monthly release), national.
  • Switzerland: Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS), ILO definition, permanent resident population aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted quarterly averages, national.
  • For other countries, the source may be OECD survey-based rates, annual survey-based rates compiled by the ILO in ILOSTAT, or annual ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank.
  • ILO modelled estimates cover ages 15 and over.
  • The World series uses those ILO modelled estimates.

Survey-based for national and Eurostat series. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states, US counties, US cities (those of 25,000 or more and smaller New England cities), United Kingdom regions, Canadian provinces, Australia and its six states, New Zealand with 10 of its regions, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (national), not Spanish municipalities. For Spanish municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03) (Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_north_carolina_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in North Carolina by unemployment rate, 2025-12
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/north-carolina-cities?period=2025-12.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate?

Rocky Mount, NC, with 5.6% in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Morrisville, NC, with 2.7% in December 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Cities in North Carolina: more rankings