The Labor & Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) provides trusted data, research, and analysis on North Carolina’s economy and labor market. Our work supports informed decision-making across business recruitment, workforce and education policy, career development, and economic planning at the state, regional, and local levels. 

LEAD translates complex data into accessible insights so policymakers, workforce development boards, businesses, and educators can better understand economic conditions and plan for what’s next.

LEAD Analytics

Visualize and interact with North Carolina’s economic and labor market statistics and trends.

Browse Our Products & Services

Tab/Accordion Items

  • Labor Data Search Tool (D4) — Access state and local industry, occupation, employment, unemployment, custom demographics reports, business data, and area maps from Demand Driven Data Delivery System (D4).
  • NC Today — Review a snapshot of labor market and economic conditions and find the latest monthly unemployment and jobs numbers for the state.
  • Area Profiles — Explore economic and demographic overviews by county, workforce board area, and prosperity zone.
  • Regional Labor Market Overviews — Get a monthly summary of labor market data for each NC workforce development board region.
  • Commuting Patterns Dashboard — Discover where people live and work across North Carolina counties.
  • Labor Supply and Demand Dashboard — View LEAD’s monthly and annual estimates of state and local labor supply (jobseekers) and labor demand (job openings).

  • NCcareers — Browse the state’s premier career exploration platform featuring 800+ occupation profiles, career assessments, and tools for every stage of your career journey.
  • Employment Projections  — View projections of employment growth by industry and occupation at the state and regional levels.
  • Star Job Brochures — Explore the top 10 in-demand occupations in each NC region, organized by education level. These brochures identify some of the best long-term opportunities across NC and are great to help career explorers and job seekers start a conversation about careers.
  • NC TOWER — Uncover outcome data about programs of study, degrees attained, enrollment and employment for students who have pursued public higher education in NC.
  • Common Follow-Up System — Access statewide information on the educational and employment outcomes of participants in publicly supported educational, employment and training programs.

  • The LEAD Feed — Stay ahead with LEAD's blog featuring expert analysis on North Carolina's economic trends, workforce developments, and labor market insights.
  • LMI Tuesdays — Join LEAD staff on the first and third Tuesday at 11:30am each month for a 30 minute virtual session focused on labor market data, current economic trends, and more.
  • Newsletter Subscription Center — Sign up for monthly updates on state economic data and insights (NC Economy in Numbers) and monthly county unemployment rates plus LEAD product highlights (The LEADing News).
  • Research Manual (January 2026) — Review our comprehensive guide to locate key labor market data and resources all in one place.
  • Research & Publications — Discover a wealth of information related to specific research – i.e. industries, labor force, education and workforce program outcomes, and other economic topics.

LEAD Contact Information:

Have any questions about our data or products? Reach out to our team!
(919) 707-1500
Dashboards & Data Access Tools
Off