Burke's unemployment up third month in a row

Burke County’s unemployment rate has increased from 3.5% to 4.1% in three months, despite North Carolina maintaining a rate of 3.7% since August 2024. The number of unemployed in Burke is 1,620 out of a labor force of 39,651.

Burke isn’t the only county with creeping unemployment. The N.C. Department of Commerce said 92 of the state’s 100 counties saw unemployment rate increases in June; the rate went down in four counties and was unchanged in another four. Burke ranks 59th (the higher the rank, the higher the unemployment rate). For context, Edgecombe County ranks 100th with an unemployment rate of 5.8%. The small county of Currituck in the northeast ranks No. 1 at 3.1%.

At 4.1% for June, Burke’s unemployment rate is higher than the state average and that of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area (3.9%). Burke’s rate is also higher than May (3.7%), which was higher than April (3.5%). Unemployment one year ago was 3.5%.

Burke is faring better than some neighbors: McDowell County (4.5%), Cleveland County (4.5%), and Rutherford County (5.1%).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the biggest industry loser over the last 12 months is manufacturing, which lost 3.5% of jobs. Statewide, manufacturing and trade, transportation, and utilities showed the biggest losses.

— AKC