Today Governor Josh Stein visited Roanoke-Chowan Community College to highlight how a recent Southeast Crescent Regional Commission grant is helping the college work to train a welding workforce in Northeastern North Carolina.
The state’s seasonally adjusted September 2026 unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, decreasing 0.1 of a percentage point from August’s revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.2 percent.
North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased 0.5 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed increased 4,623 over the month to 5,053,743 and decreased 49,720 over the year. The number of people unemployed decreased 2,204 over the month to 179,830 and decreased 24,757 over the year.
Today Governor Josh Stein announced that more than 500 high school students completed summer pre-apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship academies this year through the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) in programs focused on electrical trades, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, biotechnology, and health care.
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 91 counties in August 2026 and remained unchanged in nine. Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.4 percent while Currituck County had the lowest at 2.7 percent. Twelve of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases and three remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.8 percent while Asheville and Raleigh each had the lowest at 3.1 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.6 percent.