The twelve northeastern North Carolina counties saw their combined eligible workforce drop by over 800 people in July 2023, while the unemployment rates during the height of the summer vacation season in Dare and Currituck counties were back among the lowest in the state.
According to the latest report from the N.C. Department of Commerce, there were 97,546 people living in the Greater Outer Banks region that were eligible for a job and 93,907 were employed in July.
That’s down from June, when the workforce totaled 98,482 (-936) and the number of employed residents was 94,744 (-837). The total workforce decreased by 697 and employed workers by 429 from July 2022.
The three Outer Banks counties of Dare, Currituck and Hyde combined for a workforce of 39,740 (+404 from June, -114 from July 2022), with 38,564 employed (+460 from June, -17 from July 2022). Dare and Currituck were the only counties in the entire region not to gain eligible workers in July.
Bertie County had the biggest declines in workforce and employed residents both over the month and from last year, dropping from 7,106 eligible workers to 6,784 between June and July 2023 and from 7,350 in July 2022.
Employed residents of Bertie went from 6,771 in June to 6,469 in July, and from 6,989 in July 2022.
Statewide, a new record of 5,099,279 residents were employed in the month of July out of a workforce of 5,288,479.
Dare County had the state’s third lowest unemployment rate in July of 2.8 percent. Currituck County was tied for fifth at 3.0 percent. Hertford County had the eighth highest jobless rate in North Carolina at 5.2 percent.
Jobless rates went up in July in Camden (0.1 percent), Hertford (0.2), Hyde (0.2) and Pasquotank (0.1), held steady from June in Gates, while dropping in the other seven counties. The biggest drop was in Tyrrell at 0.3 percent.
Unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 39 of North Carolina’s counties in July 2023, increased in 27, and remained unchanged in 34.
Scotland County had the highest unemployment rate at 6.7 percent while Buncombe and Swain Counties each had the lowest at 2.7 percent.
Two of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases, two increased, and 11 remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 5.2 percent while Asheville had the lowest at 2.9 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.6 percent.