January 2026 Sees Rise in Unemployment Rates Across North Carolina

January 2026 saw a rise in unemployment rates across North Carolina, impacting all 100 counties. This increase in joblessness highlights economic challenges within the state’s various regions. While some areas fared better than others, the trend was consistent statewide.

Statewide and Metro Area Unemployment Rates

Hyde County reported the highest unemployment rate at 10.0 percent, contrasting sharply with Camden County’s lowest at 3.1 percent. Statewide, the unemployment rate, not adjusted for seasonal variations, was 4.1 percent. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount recorded the highest unemployment figure at 5.7 percent, while Raleigh experienced the lowest at 3.5 percent.

Comparison of County Unemployment Rates

Month	Counties with Rates 5% or Below	Counties with Rates Between 5% and 10%	Counties with Rates Above 10%
January	86	13	1
December (revised)	97	3	0

This data indicates a shift, with fewer counties maintaining unemployment rates at or below 5 percent compared to December 2025. Meanwhile, those with rates between 5 and 10 percent increased, and Hyde County became the outlier with a rate above 10 percent.

Yearly Changes in Unemployment

When looking back to the previous year, unemployment rates rose in 65 counties, fell in 26, and remained unchanged in 9. Metro areas followed a similar pattern with 12 experiencing increases, 2 decreases, and 1 remaining stable. The state saw a notable decrease in the number of employed workers by 76,782, totaling 5,036,491, while the number of unemployed individuals climbed by 34,788 to 214,601. Over the year, North Carolina experienced a decrease of 28,304 in employed workers, with the unemployed population increasing by 3,965.

Given the substantial seasonal patterns that affect employment estimates, it’s recommended to focus on year-over-year changes rather than month-to-month comparisons.

Anticipate further updates on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, when the unemployment statistics for February 2026 will be released.

Supplementary Resources

For more detailed data, access the live online dashboard. Note that the PDF version of supplementary data has been discontinued, though additional charts and tables are included in today’s release. For further information, contact Commerce Communications.