Counties in North Carolina by unemployment rate

Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate of 100 counties in June 2026, at 5.3%. Currituck County had the lowest, at 2.7%. The median was 3.5% and the figure for North Carolina was 3.6%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Median3.5100 counties
North Carolina3.6History

Top 40 counties, June 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

Edgecombe CountyEdgecombe County: 5.3 %5.3Halifax CountyHalifax County: 5.1 %5.1Bladen CountyBladen County: 4.8 %4.8Robeson CountyRobeson County: 4.8 %4.8Warren CountyWarren County: 4.7 %4.7Wilson CountyWilson County: 4.7 %4.7Bertie CountyBertie County: 4.6 %4.6Scotland CountyScotland County: 4.6 %4.6Hyde CountyHyde County: 4.5 %4.5Nash CountyNash County: 4.5 %4.5Cumberland CountyCumberland County: 4.4 %4.4Hoke CountyHoke County: 4.4 %4.4Vance CountyVance County: 4.4 %4.4Anson CountyAnson County: 4.3 %4.3Northampton CountyNorthampton County: 4.3 %4.3Washington CountyWashington County: 4.3 %4.3Cleveland CountyCleveland County: 4.2 %4.2Columbus CountyColumbus County: 4.2 %4.2Rutherford CountyRutherford County: 4.2 %4.2Tyrrell CountyTyrrell County: 4.2 %4.2Brunswick CountyBrunswick County: 4 %4Guilford CountyGuilford County: 4 %4Hertford CountyHertford County: 4 %4Martin CountyMartin County: 4 %4Pitt CountyPitt County: 4 %4Cherokee CountyCherokee County: 3.9 %3.9Onslow CountyOnslow County: 3.9 %3.9Perquimans CountyPerquimans County: 3.9 %3.9Forsyth CountyForsyth County: 3.8 %3.8Harnett CountyHarnett County: 3.8 %3.8Lenoir CountyLenoir County: 3.8 %3.8Montgomery CountyMontgomery County: 3.8 %3.8Rockingham CountyRockingham County: 3.8 %3.8Craven CountyCraven County: 3.7 %3.7McDowell CountyMcDowell County: 3.7 %3.7Pasquotank CountyPasquotank County: 3.7 %3.7Richmond CountyRichmond County: 3.7 %3.7Sampson CountySampson County: 3.7 %3.7Wayne CountyWayne County: 3.7 %3.7Wilkes CountyWilkes County: 3.7 %3.7
%. Source: BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCountiesJune 2026 (%)Change on June 2025
1Edgecombe County5.3-0.5 pts
2Halifax County5.1-0.3 pts
3Bladen County4.8-0.4 pts
3Robeson County4.8-0.8 pts
5Warren County4.7-0.3 pts
5Wilson County4.7-0.6 pts
7Bertie County4.6-0.4 pts
7Scotland County4.6-0.9 pts
9Hyde County4.5+0.1 pts
9Nash County4.5-0.5 pts
11Cumberland County4.4-0.6 pts
11Hoke County4.4-0.3 pts
11Vance County4.4-0.4 pts
14Anson County4.3-0.3 pts
14Northampton County4.3-0.7 pts
14Washington County4.3-0.6 pts
17Cleveland County4.2-0.4 pts
17Columbus County4.2-0.4 pts
17Rutherford County4.2-0.8 pts
17Tyrrell County4.2-0.6 pts
21Brunswick County4-0.4 pts
21Guilford County4-0.5 pts
21Hertford County4-0.5 pts
21Martin County40 pts
21Pitt County4-0.4 pts
26Cherokee County3.9-0.4 pts
26Onslow County3.9-0.3 pts
26Perquimans County3.90 pts
29Forsyth County3.8-0.4 pts
29Harnett County3.8-0.3 pts
29Lenoir County3.8-0.4 pts
29Montgomery County3.8-0.5 pts
29Rockingham County3.8-0.6 pts
34Craven County3.7-0.3 pts
34McDowell County3.7-0.6 pts
34Pasquotank County3.7-0.2 pts
34Richmond County3.7-0.6 pts
34Sampson County3.7-0.5 pts
34Wayne County3.7-0.3 pts
34Wilkes County3.7-0.6 pts
41Alamance County3.6-0.5 pts
41Alleghany County3.6-0.4 pts
41Caldwell County3.6-0.4 pts
41Gaston County3.6-0.5 pts
41Jones County3.6-0.6 pts
41Mecklenburg County3.6-0.5 pts
41Randolph County3.6-0.2 pts
48Beaufort County3.5-0.2 pts
48Caswell County3.5-0.4 pts
48Clay County3.5-0.2 pts
48Davidson County3.5-0.5 pts
48Lee County3.5-0.5 pts
48Mitchell County3.5-1.4 pts
48Rowan County3.5-0.4 pts
48Stokes County3.5-0.5 pts
56Burke County3.4-0.6 pts
56Cabarrus County3.4-0.3 pts
56Catawba County3.4-0.4 pts
56Davie County3.4-0.3 pts
56Gates County3.4-0.3 pts
56Graham County3.4+0.1 pts
56Granville County3.4-0.4 pts
56Macon County3.4-0.3 pts
56Madison County3.4-1.2 pts
56Pamlico County3.4-0.3 pts
66Alexander County3.3-0.5 pts
66Chowan County3.3-0.3 pts
66Franklin County3.3-0.3 pts
66Haywood County3.3-0.7 pts
66Iredell County3.3-0.4 pts
66Orange County3.3-0.2 pts
66Pender County3.3-0.4 pts
66Surry County3.3-0.3 pts
66Transylvania County3.3-0.3 pts
66Watauga County3.3-0.3 pts
76Buncombe County3.2-1.4 pts
76Duplin County3.2-0.3 pts
76Durham County3.2-0.4 pts
76Greene County3.2-0.4 pts
76Jackson County3.2-0.3 pts
76Lincoln County3.2-0.3 pts
76Moore County3.2-0.3 pts
76New Hanover County3.2-0.5 pts
76Person County3.2-0.5 pts
76Union County3.2-0.3 pts
76Yadkin County3.2-0.3 pts
76Yancey County3.2-1 pts
88Carteret County3.1-0.4 pts
88Chatham County3.1-0.4 pts
88Polk County3.1-0.6 pts
88Stanly County3.1-0.4 pts
88Wake County3.1-0.3 pts
93Ashe County3-0.4 pts
93Avery County3-0.8 pts
93Dare County3-0.3 pts
93Henderson County3-0.5 pts
93Johnston County3-0.4 pts
98Swain County2.9-0.5 pts
99Camden County2.8-0.3 pts
100Currituck County2.7-0.3 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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Questions

Which county has the highest unemployment rate?

Edgecombe County, with 5.3% in June 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?

Currituck County, with 2.7% in June 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

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings