Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate

Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate of 100 counties in November 2025, at 5.8%. Currituck County had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 3.9% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.8%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Median3.9100 counties
North Carolina3.8History

Top 40 counties, November 2025

CSVChart (SVG)

Edgecombe CountyEdgecombe County: 5.8 %5.8Halifax CountyHalifax County: 5.5 %5.5Bladen CountyBladen County: 5.3 %5.3Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 5.2 %5.2Robeson CountyRobeson County: 5.2 %5.2Hyde CountyHyde County: 4.9 %4.9Nash CountyNash County: 4.9 %4.9Tyrrell CountyTyrrell County: 4.9 %4.9Scotland CountyScotland County: 4.8 %4.8Wilson CountyWilson County: 4.8 %4.8Bertie CountyBertie County: 4.7 %4.7Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 4.7 %4.7Rutherford CountyRutherford County: 4.7 %4.7Hoke CountyHoke County: 4.6 %4.6Vance CountyVance County: 4.6 %4.6Warren CountyWarren County: 4.6 %4.6Washington CountyWashington County: 4.6 %4.6Anson CountyAnson County: 4.5 %4.5Cleveland CountyCleveland County: 4.5 %4.5Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 4.4 %4.4Hertford CountyHertford County: 4.3 %4.3Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 4.2 %4.2Columbus CountyColumbus County: 4.2 %4.2Craven CountyCraven County: 4.2 %4.2Guilford CountyGuilford County: 4.2 %4.2McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 4.2 %4.2Mitchell CountyMitchell County: 4.2 %4.2Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 4.2 %4.2Perquimans CountyPerquimans County: 4.2 %4.2Rockingham CountyRockingham County: 4.2 %4.2Gaston CountyGaston County: 4.1 %4.1Martin CountyMartin County: 4.1 %4.1Onslow CountyOnslow County: 4.1 %4.1Richmond CountyRichmond County: 4.1 %4.1Sampson CountySampson County: 4.1 %4.1Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 4.1 %4.1Forsyth CountyForsyth County: 4 %4Harnett CountyHarnett County: 4 %4Jones CountyJones County: 4 %4Lenoir CountyLenoir County: 4 %4
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesNovember 2025 (%)Change on November 2024
1Edgecombe County5.8+0.7 pts
2Halifax County5.5+0.4 pts
3Bladen County5.3+0.2 pts
4Northampton County5.2+0.4 pts
4Robeson County5.2+0.1 pts
6Hyde County4.90 pts
6Nash County4.9+0.4 pts
6Tyrrell County4.9+0.7 pts
9Scotland County4.8-0.1 pts
9Wilson County4.8-0.1 pts
11Bertie County4.7-0.2 pts
11Cumberland County4.7+0.2 pts
11Rutherford County4.7-0.5 pts
14Hoke County4.6+0.4 pts
14Vance County4.6+0.3 pts
14Warren County4.6-0.3 pts
14Washington County4.6+0.3 pts
18Anson County4.5+0.1 pts
18Cleveland County4.5+0.3 pts
20Brunswick County4.4+0.2 pts
21Hertford County4.3+0.2 pts
22Cherokee County4.2+0.3 pts
22Columbus County4.2+0.1 pts
22Craven County4.2+0.3 pts
22Guilford County4.2+0.2 pts
22McDowell County4.2-1.6 pts
22Mitchell County4.2-4.9 pts
22Montgomery County4.2+0.3 pts
22Perquimans County4.2+0.3 pts
22Rockingham County4.2+0.4 pts
31Gaston County4.1+0.4 pts
31Martin County4.1-0.1 pts
31Onslow County4.1+0.4 pts
31Richmond County4.1-0.1 pts
31Sampson County4.1+0.1 pts
31Wilkes County4.1+0.2 pts
37Forsyth County4+0.2 pts
37Harnett County4+0.2 pts
37Jones County4+0.1 pts
37Lenoir County4+0.1 pts
37Pasquotank County4+0.3 pts
37Wayne County4+0.3 pts
43Alamance County3.9+0.3 pts
43Alleghany County3.9+0.2 pts
43Buncombe County3.9-4.1 pts
43Caldwell County3.9+0.2 pts
43Clay County3.9+0.6 pts
43Graham County3.9+0.3 pts
43Lee County3.9+0.3 pts
43Madison County3.9-2.8 pts
43Pitt County3.90 pts
43Stokes County3.9+0.4 pts
43Yancey County3.9-2.9 pts
54Burke County3.8-0.3 pts
54Caswell County3.8+0.3 pts
54Dare County3.8+0.3 pts
54Davidson County3.8+0.1 pts
54Mecklenburg County3.8+0.1 pts
54Pamlico County3.8+0.2 pts
54Rowan County3.8+0.2 pts
54Transylvania County3.8-0.3 pts
62Alexander County3.7-0.1 pts
62Cabarrus County3.7+0.3 pts
62Carteret County3.7+0.3 pts
62Catawba County3.7+0.1 pts
62Davie County3.7+0.3 pts
62Gates County3.7+0.1 pts
62Granville County3.7+0.2 pts
62Haywood County3.7-0.9 pts
62Macon County3.7+0.2 pts
62Person County3.7+0.4 pts
62Polk County3.7-0.5 pts
62Randolph County3.7+0.2 pts
74Avery County3.6-3.6 pts
74Beaufort County3.6+0.1 pts
74Chowan County3.6+0.1 pts
74Iredell County3.6+0.2 pts
74Moore County3.6+0.3 pts
74Pender County3.6+0.3 pts
74Surry County3.6+0.2 pts
81Chatham County3.5+0.3 pts
81Franklin County3.5+0.2 pts
81Lincoln County3.5+0.1 pts
81Yadkin County3.5+0.3 pts
85Ashe County3.4-0.2 pts
85Duplin County3.4+0.1 pts
85Durham County3.4+0.3 pts
85Greene County3.4+0.1 pts
85Henderson County3.4-0.9 pts
85New Hanover County3.4+0.1 pts
85Swain County3.4-0.4 pts
85Union County3.4+0.1 pts
85Watauga County3.4-0.4 pts
94Jackson County3.3-0.1 pts
94Johnston County3.3+0.2 pts
94Orange County3.3+0.2 pts
94Wake County3.3+0.2 pts
98Camden County3.2+0.4 pts
98Stanly County3.2+0.1 pts
100Currituck County2.9+0.1 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?

Edgecombe County, with 5.8% in November 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Currituck County, with 2.9% in November 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