County unemployment rates drop across NC

Unemployment rates declined in 99 of North Carolina's 100 counties in March, the state Employment Security Commission said Wednesday.

Greene County was the only county that saw its rate jump in March, from 10 to 10.5 percent.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March. Thirty-five counties were at or below that rate, the ESC said.

The Triangle had a 7.7 percent unemployment rate during the month, down from 8.1 percent in February. In the Raleigh-Cary metro area, the rate also declined from 8.1 to 7.7 percent, while it dropped from 7.4 to 7.1 percent in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area.

The Fayetteville metro area saw its jobless rate decline from 9.4 to 9.1 percent, while the rate in the Rocky Mount metro area fell from 12.9 to 12.5 percent.

Orange County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in March, at 6.1 percent. Meanwhile, Graham County had the highest unemployment rate, at 16.4 percent.

The number of workers employed increased in March by 51,323, to 4,039,958. The number of people unemployed decreased by 15,633, to 434,073.