Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate, August 2026
Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate of 100 counties in August 2026, at 5.4%. Currituck County had the lowest, at 2.7%. The median was 3.55% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.5%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgecombe County Provisional | 5.4 | -0.8 pts |
| 2 | Halifax County Provisional | 5.3 | -1 pts |
| 3 | Robeson County Provisional | 5.1 | -0.7 pts |
| 4 | Wilson County Provisional | 5 | -0.8 pts |
| 5 | Bladen County Provisional | 4.8 | -1.3 pts |
| 5 | Washington County Provisional | 4.8 | -0.5 pts |
| 7 | Scotland County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.9 pts |
| 8 | Bertie County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.9 pts |
| 8 | Cumberland County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 8 | Nash County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 11 | Anson County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 11 | Hoke County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.4 pts |
| 11 | Northampton County Provisional | 4.5 | -1.3 pts |
| 11 | Vance County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.4 pts |
| 11 | Warren County Provisional | 4.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 16 | Cleveland County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 16 | Pitt County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.3 pts |
| 16 | Tyrrell County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.8 pts |
| 19 | Columbus County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 19 | Guilford County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.5 pts |
| 19 | Hertford County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.6 pts |
| 19 | Hyde County Provisional | 4.2 | -0.8 pts |
| 23 | Rutherford County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.9 pts |
| 24 | Harnett County Provisional | 4 | -0.4 pts |
| 24 | Martin County Provisional | 4 | -0.4 pts |
| 26 | Brunswick County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.7 pts |
| 26 | Forsyth County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.5 pts |
| 26 | Lenoir County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.5 pts |
| 26 | Montgomery County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.6 pts |
| 26 | Onslow County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.5 pts |
| 26 | Perquimans County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.5 pts |
| 26 | Richmond County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.9 pts |
| 26 | Wayne County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.5 pts |
| 34 | Alamance County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.5 pts |
| 34 | Craven County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.4 pts |
| 34 | Jones County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.7 pts |
| 34 | Rockingham County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.7 pts |
| 38 | Caswell County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.5 pts |
| 38 | Gaston County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.6 pts |
| 38 | McDowell County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.7 pts |
| 38 | Mecklenburg County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.5 pts |
| 38 | Pasquotank County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.7 pts |
| 38 | Watauga County Provisional | 3.7 | 0 pts |
| 38 | Wilkes County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.7 pts |
| 45 | Cherokee County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 45 | Davidson County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 45 | Gates County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.5 pts |
| 45 | Lee County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.6 pts |
| 45 | Rowan County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.5 pts |
| 45 | Sampson County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.7 pts |
| 51 | Alleghany County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 51 | Beaufort County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.4 pts |
| 51 | Cabarrus County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 51 | Caldwell County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.7 pts |
| 51 | Catawba County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 51 | Jackson County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 51 | Orange County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 51 | Randolph County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.5 pts |
| 59 | Alexander County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.6 pts |
| 59 | Burke County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.8 pts |
| 59 | Chowan County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.6 pts |
| 59 | Clay County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.7 pts |
| 59 | Davie County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.5 pts |
| 59 | Granville County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.6 pts |
| 59 | Mitchell County Provisional | 3.4 | -1.3 pts |
| 59 | Stokes County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.8 pts |
| 59 | Union County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 68 | Duplin County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Durham County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 68 | Franklin County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Greene County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Iredell County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 68 | Lincoln County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Macon County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Madison County Provisional | 3.3 | -1.1 pts |
| 68 | New Hanover County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.4 pts |
| 68 | Pamlico County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 68 | Pender County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 68 | Person County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 68 | Surry County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 81 | Buncombe County Provisional | 3.2 | -1.2 pts |
| 81 | Graham County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.5 pts |
| 81 | Moore County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.6 pts |
| 81 | Transylvania County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.6 pts |
| 81 | Yadkin County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.4 pts |
| 86 | Carteret County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.6 pts |
| 86 | Chatham County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.6 pts |
| 86 | Haywood County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.9 pts |
| 86 | Johnston County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.4 pts |
| 86 | Polk County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.8 pts |
| 86 | Stanly County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.6 pts |
| 86 | Wake County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.4 pts |
| 93 | Avery County Provisional | 3 | -0.8 pts |
| 93 | Camden County Provisional | 3 | -0.4 pts |
| 93 | Henderson County Provisional | 3 | -0.6 pts |
| 93 | Swain County Provisional | 3 | -0.6 pts |
| 93 | Yancey County Provisional | 3 | -1.2 pts |
| 98 | Ashe County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.7 pts |
| 98 | Dare County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 100 | Currituck County Provisional | 2.7 | -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. 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 and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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Rank Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"unemployment_rate","level":"province","within":"North Carolina","limit":10}
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Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Edgecombe County, with 5.4% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Currituck County, with 2.7% in August 2026.
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: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
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- Autonomous communities of Spain
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Counties in North Carolina: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value