Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate

Halifax County had the highest unemployment rate of 100 counties in September 2025, at 5.6%. Currituck County had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 3.7% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.9%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest5.6Halifax County
Median3.7100 counties
North Carolina3.9History

Top 40 counties, September 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Halifax CountyHalifax County: 5.6 %5.6Edgecombe CountyEdgecombe County: 5.5 %5.5Bladen CountyBladen County: 5.4 %5.4Robeson CountyRobeson County: 5.3 %5.3Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 5 %5Nash CountyNash County: 4.9 %4.9Scotland CountyScotland County: 4.9 %4.9Washington CountyWashington County: 4.9 %4.9Wilson CountyWilson County: 4.9 %4.9Bertie CountyBertie County: 4.6 %4.6Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 4.6 %4.6Anson CountyAnson County: 4.5 %4.5Hoke CountyHoke County: 4.5 %4.5Tyrrell CountyTyrrell County: 4.5 %4.5Warren CountyWarren County: 4.5 %4.5Hyde CountyHyde County: 4.4 %4.4Rutherford CountyRutherford County: 4.4 %4.4Vance CountyVance County: 4.4 %4.4Cleveland CountyCleveland County: 4.3 %4.3Richmond CountyRichmond County: 4.3 %4.3Rowan CountyRowan County: 4.3 %4.3Guilford CountyGuilford County: 4.2 %4.2Hertford CountyHertford County: 4.2 %4.2Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 4.1 %4.1Columbus CountyColumbus County: 4.1 %4.1Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 4 %4Perquimans CountyPerquimans County: 4 %4Pitt CountyPitt County: 4 %4Rockingham CountyRockingham County: 4 %4Forsyth CountyForsyth County: 3.9 %3.9Gaston CountyGaston County: 3.9 %3.9Harnett CountyHarnett County: 3.9 %3.9Jones CountyJones County: 3.9 %3.9Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 3.9 %3.9Sampson CountySampson County: 3.9 %3.9Wayne CountyWayne County: 3.9 %3.9Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 3.9 %3.9Alamance CountyAlamance County: 3.8 %3.8Buncombe CountyBuncombe County: 3.8 %3.8Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 3.8 %3.8
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesSeptember 2025 (%)Change on September 2024
1Halifax County5.6+0.9 pts
2Edgecombe County5.5+0.6 pts
3Bladen County5.4+0.8 pts
4Robeson County5.3+0.6 pts
5Northampton County5+0.7 pts
6Nash County4.9+0.7 pts
6Scotland County4.9+0.2 pts
6Washington County4.9+1.1 pts
6Wilson County4.9+0.1 pts
10Bertie County4.6+0.2 pts
10Cumberland County4.6+0.5 pts
12Anson County4.5+0.4 pts
12Hoke County4.5+0.6 pts
12Tyrrell County4.5+0.9 pts
12Warren County4.5+0.2 pts
16Hyde County4.4+0.7 pts
16Rutherford County4.4+0.7 pts
16Vance County4.4+0.3 pts
19Cleveland County4.3+0.6 pts
19Richmond County4.3+0.4 pts
19Rowan County4.3+1.1 pts
22Guilford County4.2+0.4 pts
22Hertford County4.2+0.2 pts
24Brunswick County4.1+0.4 pts
24Columbus County4.1+0.3 pts
26Montgomery County4+0.5 pts
26Perquimans County4+0.5 pts
26Pitt County4+0.3 pts
26Rockingham County4+0.5 pts
30Forsyth County3.9+0.5 pts
30Gaston County3.9+0.5 pts
30Harnett County3.9+0.4 pts
30Jones County3.9+0.5 pts
30Mitchell County3.9+1.2 pts
30Sampson County3.9+0.4 pts
30Wayne County3.9+0.5 pts
30Wilkes County3.9+0.7 pts
38Alamance County3.8+0.5 pts
38Buncombe County3.8+1.2 pts
38Cherokee County3.8+0.4 pts
38Lenoir County3.8+0.1 pts
38Madison County3.8+1 pts
38Martin County3.8+0.1 pts
38McDowell County3.8+0.7 pts
38Mecklenburg County3.8+0.4 pts
38Onslow County3.8+0.3 pts
38Pasquotank County3.8+0.6 pts
48Burke County3.7+0.8 pts
48Caldwell County3.7+0.6 pts
48Caswell County3.7+0.5 pts
48Craven County3.7+0.3 pts
48Davidson County3.7+0.4 pts
48Davie County3.7+0.7 pts
48Gates County3.7+0.6 pts
48Iredell County3.7+0.6 pts
48Lee County3.7+0.5 pts
48Pamlico County3.7+0.4 pts
48Stokes County3.7+0.5 pts
59Alexander County3.6+0.4 pts
59Cabarrus County3.6+0.5 pts
59Clay County3.6+0.7 pts
59Granville County3.6+0.5 pts
59Yancey County3.6+0.9 pts
64Catawba County3.5+0.3 pts
64Chowan County3.5+0.2 pts
64Haywood County3.5+0.6 pts
64Pender County3.5+0.6 pts
64Person County3.5+0.3 pts
64Polk County3.5+0.8 pts
64Randolph County3.5+0.3 pts
64Transylvania County3.5+0.6 pts
72Alleghany County3.4+0.3 pts
72Avery County3.4+0.8 pts
72Beaufort County3.4+0.1 pts
72Carteret County3.4+0.5 pts
72Durham County3.4+0.5 pts
72Greene County3.4+0.4 pts
72Moore County3.4+0.4 pts
72Orange County3.4+0.6 pts
72Surry County3.4+0.5 pts
72Union County3.4+0.4 pts
72Watauga County3.4+0.7 pts
83Chatham County3.3+0.5 pts
83Duplin County3.3+0.2 pts
83Franklin County3.3+0.3 pts
83Graham County3.3+0.4 pts
83Jackson County3.3+0.5 pts
83Lincoln County3.3+0.3 pts
83Macon County3.3+0.4 pts
83New Hanover County3.3+0.3 pts
83Swain County3.3+0.6 pts
92Yadkin County3.2+0.5 pts
93Ashe County3.1+0.6 pts
93Camden County3.1+0.6 pts
93Dare County3.1+0.3 pts
93Henderson County3.1+0.5 pts
93Johnston County3.1+0.2 pts
93Stanly County3.1+0.4 pts
93Wake County3.1+0.2 pts
100Currituck County2.6+0.2 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Halifax County, with 5.6% in September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Currituck County, with 2.6% in September 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: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings