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
$4.07
+$1.20vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Halifax County $3.96, highest Hyde County $4.28. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, North Carolina, October 10, 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).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $113,547 a year in 20,371 certified H-1B filings for jobs in North Carolina, up 4.7% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$113,547
+4.7%vs 2024
Middle half: $92,271 to $138,000.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
20,371
+6.5%vs 2024
27,518 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$125,691
Software Developers, 7,794 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$96,600
+20.8%vs 2024
3,763 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in North Carolina, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 7,794 | $125,691 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 2,693 | $103,210 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 998 | $101,858 |
| Data Scientists | 887 | $112,200 |
| Computer Programmers | 740 | $91,042 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 713 | $106,000 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 388 | $176,600 |
| Database Administrators | 378 | $116,632 |
| Industrial Engineers | 349 | $93,038 |
| Data Warehousing Specialists | 295 | $132,101 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 979 | 43 |
| Fidelity Technology Group, LLC d/b/a Fidelity Investments | 664 | 6 |
| Infosys Limited INFY | 594 | 13 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited TCS.NS | 493 | 16 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 347 | 22 |
| Lowe's Companies, Inc. LOW | 331 | 3 |
| Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. WFC | 304 | 3 |
| Bank of America N.A. BAC | 292 | 2 |
| Randstad Digital, LLC | 225 | 21 |
| Duke University | 222 | 3 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 6,882 | $114,000 | $97,933 to $137,446 |
| Durham | 2,828 | $117,832 | $98,783 to $141,170 |
| Raleigh | 2,120 | $109,262 | $91,692 to $133,000 |
| Cary | 1,648 | $112,982 | $92,602 to $135,000 |
| Morrisville | 1,237 | $114,421 | $93,101 to $139,925 |
| Apex | 523 | $123,188 | $109,262 to $153,743 |
| Greensboro | 519 | $99,819 | $79,310 to $124,128 |
| Concord | 433 | $118,102 | $103,210 to $141,500 |
| Fuquay Varina | 307 | $116,411 | $105,500 to $143,530 |
| Winston-Salem | 273 | $92,937 | $70,000 to $127,067 |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of North Carolina added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
North Carolina has had 85 declared disasters and emergencies since 1954, 51 of them since 2000, most often Hurricane. Flood insurance has paid $2.3 billion on 109,593 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2018 ($653.1 million).
Declared disasters
51
29 major disasters. Most often Hurricane (34 since 1954).
Since 2000, all types; 85 since 1954
Flood claims paid
$1.3B
32,329 claims. Biggest year 2018 ($653.1M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
132,625
Average premium $834 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
26
Brunswick County, latest Jan 24, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for North Carolina, 1954 to today
Claims paid in North Carolina by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1954
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 15 of 100.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craven County | 6,126 | $239.5M | 5,238 |
| 2 | Dare County | 18,950 | $230.9M | 19,583 |
| 3 | New Hanover County | 11,183 | $187.7M | 15,938 |
| 4 | Beaufort County | 9,462 | $131.5M | 4,030 |
| 5 | Carteret County | 8,997 | $128.9M | 14,796 |
| 6 | Pender County | 5,889 | $118.1M | 4,962 |
| 7 | Buncombe County | 1,192 | $104.1M | 1,026 |
| 8 | Pamlico County | 4,330 | $102.8M | 2,022 |
| 9 | Brunswick County | 9,879 | $99.3M | 18,425 |
| 10 | Onslow County | 4,432 | $70.7M | 4,858 |
| 11 | Mecklenburg County | 2,883 | $61.6M | 3,519 |
| 12 | Robeson County | 1,430 | $54.6M | 1,061 |
| 13 | Duplin County | 542 | $52.1M | 513 |
| 14 | Wayne County | 1,193 | $47.0M | 1,096 |
| 15 | Hyde County | 1,734 | $44.8M | 1,273 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in North Carolina, from official public data.
Official public data lists 12,414 facilities in North Carolina with records since 2010, 12,344 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Warsaw WWTP in Warsaw ($574,952). 183 large facilities reported 44.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 9.7% from 2022.
Facilities with records
12,414
12,344 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$575K
Warsaw WWTP, Warsaw.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
44.7M t
-9.7%vs 2022
183 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
5.58M t
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC - Belews Creek Steam Station, Walnut Cove.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Warsaw WWTP Warsaw | $574,952 | 1 |
| Abf Freight System Incorporated Kernersville | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight Systems, INC. Belmont | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight Systems, INC. Durham | $535,000 | 0 |
| Abf Freight System, INC. Kinston | $535,000 | 0 |
| Siler City WWTP Siler City | $512,740 | 1 |
| Red Oak Subdivision - D.R. Horton, INC. Matthews | $400,000 | 0 |
| Kooks Custom Headers INC Statesville | $300,000 | 0 |
| Waynesville Waste Water Treatment Plant Waynesville | $219,570 | 2 |
| Delta Apparel Maiden Plant Maiden | $195,532 | 4 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC - Belews Creek Steam Station Walnut Cove | 5,584,208 |
| Marshall Terrell | 5,154,521 |
| Roxboro Steam Electric Plant Semora | 4,122,412 |
| Cliffside Cliffside | 3,711,094 |
| Richmond County Combustion Turbine Plant Hamlet | 3,485,840 |
| Duke Energy H.F Lee Plant/Wayne Cty Plant Goldsboro | 2,637,535 |
| Rowan County Power Plant Salisbury | 1,676,213 |
| Buck Salisbury | 1,570,969 |
| Sutton Steam Electric Plant Wilmington | 1,495,649 |
| Dan River Eden | 1,470,089 |
Large facilities in North Carolina, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Their facilities in North Carolina, 2022 to 2026. Click a company for its Risk & Compliance tab.
| Company | Facilities | Penalties | CO2e (t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcBest Corporation ARCB | 3 | $1.07M | - |
| Waste Management, Inc. WM | 12 | $174K | 65K |
| The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company GT | 2 | $48K | 38K |
| Dana Incorporated DAN | 2 | $8,450 | - |
| Duke Energy Corporation DUK | 45 | $4,507 | 33.1M |
| 3M Company MMM | 4 | $3,867 | 27K |
| Sysco Corporation SYY | 2 | $2,380 | - |
| Smurfit Westrock Plc SW | 1 | $399 | 256K |
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
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 $4.07 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.20 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.99. Among its counties, Halifax County had the lowest regular price ($3.96) and Hyde County the highest ($4.28).
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.
$113,547 a year was the median pay offered in 20,371 certified H-1B filings for jobs in North Carolina in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 4.7% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $92,271 to $138,000. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (979), Fidelity Technology Group, LLC d/b/a Fidelity Investments (664), Infosys Limited (594), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (493), Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (347) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in North Carolina in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (7,794 filings, median $125,691), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (2,693 filings, median $103,210), Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (998 filings, median $101,858) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in North Carolina in fiscal year 2025.
$123,188 was the median offered pay in Apex, the highest among the North Carolina cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (523 filings).
$96,600 a year was the median pay offered in 3,763 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in North Carolina in fiscal year 2025.
85 disasters and emergencies have been declared for North Carolina since 1954, 51 of them since 2000 (29 major disasters). The most common type is Hurricane (34 declarations).
Brunswick County, with 26 declarations since 2000, followed by New Hanover County (24) and Onslow County (24). Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$2.3 billion on 109,593 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2018, with $653.1 million paid on 16,520 claims. Craven County received the most ($239.5 million).
$834 a year in 2025, across 132,625 flood insurance policies in North Carolina. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.