— Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) increased in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties in January. Hyde County had the highest unemployment rate at 15.5 percent, while Buncombe County had the lowest at 4.5 percent. All 15 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate increases. Among the Metro areas, Rocky Mount at 8.0 percent experienced the highest rate and Asheville and Raleigh each had the lowest rate at 4.8 percent. The January not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 5.8 percent.
| Counties With Rates 5% or Below |
Counties With Rates Between 5% and 10% |
Counties With Rates 10% or Above |
|
| January 2016 | 12 | 82 | 6 |
| December 2015 | 26 | 71 | 3 |
When compared to the same month last year, not seasonally adjusted unemployment rates decreased in 55 counties, increased in 34, and remained unchanged in 11. Seven metro areas experienced rate decreases over the year while five increased and three remained unchanged.
The number of workers employed statewide (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in January by 15,220 to 4,493,107 while those unemployed increased 24,489 to 274,760. Since January 2015, the number of workers employed statewide increased 73,950, while those unemployed decreased 9,166
It is important to note that employment estimates are subject to large seasonal patterns; therefore, it is advisable to focus on over-the-year changes in the not seasonally adjusted estimates.
The next unemployment update is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, 2016 when the state unemployment rate for February 2016 will be released.
This information may be accessed on the Commerce website at nccommerce.com/lead