The local economy of North Carolina and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.5%
-0.4 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Currituck County 2.7%, highest Edgecombe County 5.4%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,515
+3.3%vs a year ago
4,942,709 jobs at 375,319 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
87,853
+7.4%this year vs last year
Most in Wake County 14,581, Durham County 5,303.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+69,419
+8.6 per 1,000residents
301,349 moved in and 231,930 moved out. Most newcomers came from Florida.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
North Carolina gas price
$4.10
+$1.21vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Ashe County $3.93, highest Hyde County $4.29. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, North Carolina, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
258K
+1.4%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
4.28M
+4.2%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (15.0%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$259.7B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$60,692
Highest sector: Finance and Insurance $115,203.
Per employee per year
Share of North Carolina's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 395,007 | $21,301 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 177,009 | $76,132 |
| Employment Services | 136,157 | $50,184 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 131,584 | $113,577 |
| Grocery Stores | 123,549 | $25,270 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 101,300 | $118,169 |
| Offices of Physicians | 99,859 | $97,606 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 81,858 | $28,697 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 80,695 | $63,182 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 74,227 | $37,330 |
| Religious Organizations | 65,432 | $26,570 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | 61,733 | $46,415 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for North Carolina, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for North Carolina is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for North Carolina, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in North Carolina was 3.5% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.9% a year earlier. 5,049,056 people were employed out of a labor force of 5,231,098. Among its counties, Currituck County had the lowest rate (2.7%) and Edgecombe County the highest (5.4%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in North Carolina was $1,515 in Q1 2026, up 3.3% from a year earlier, across 4,942,709 jobs at 375,319 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 8,399 new homes in North Carolina in August 2026 (5,261 single-family and 3,057 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 64,183, up 7.4% from the same months last year, and 87,853 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Wake County (14,581), Durham County (5,303), Brunswick County (5,171) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 301,349 people moved to North Carolina and 231,930 moved away, a net gain of 69,419 (+8.6 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, and most people who left went to South Carolina, Florida, Virginia.
Regular gasoline in North Carolina averaged $4.10 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.21 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.99. Among its counties, Ashe County had the lowest regular price ($3.93) and Hyde County the highest ($4.29).
Health Care and Social Assistance (641,503 employees), Retail Trade (535,341 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (477,208 employees) were the largest sectors in North Carolina in 2023. In all, 258,169 business locations employed 4,279,425 people at an average pay of $60,692 a year.