Burke unemployment falls to 3.3%, but local workforce numbers show a more complicated picture

Burke County’s unemployment rate fell again in April, dropping to 3.3% and landing just below North Carolina’s not-seasonally-adjusted statewide rate of 3.4%, according to figures released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

That is the good news.

The more complicated news for Burke County workers, families and employers is that the lower unemployment rate came as the county’s labor force also got smaller.

Commerce estimated Burke County’s April labor force at 38,835 residents, with 1,391 counted as unemployed. That was an improvement from March, when Burke’s unemployment rate was 3.3% and 1,327 residents were counted as unemployed.

But the county’s labor force declined by 339 people from March to April. The number of employed Burke residents, calculated from the state’s labor force and unemployment figures, also fell from 37,508 in March to 37,237 in April.

That means Burke’s unemployment rate improved in April not because the county clearly added workers, but because fewer residents were counted as unemployed while the overall labor force also declined.

For local readers, that distinction matters. A lower unemployment rate is welcome, but it does not always mean more people are working. It can also reflect a smaller pool of people working or actively looking for work.

The year-over-year numbers show the same mixed picture.

Burke’s April unemployment rate improved from 3.5% in April 2025 to 3.3% this April. The number of unemployed residents fell from 1,391 to 1,259.

At the same time, Burke’s labor force fell from 39,854 in April 2025 to 38,496 this April, a decline of 1,358 people. The estimated number of employed residents fell by 1,226 over the same period.

That gives Burke County two labor-market stories at once: fewer people are officially unemployed, but fewer people are also counted in the county workforce.

Regionally, Burke was in relatively strong position compared with several neighboring counties.

Avery and Lincoln counties each posted April unemployment rates of 3.1%. Burke followed at 3.3%. Caldwell and Catawba counties each came in at 3.4%, McDowell at 3.6%, Rutherford at 3.9% and Cleveland at 4.1%.

The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metropolitan area, which includes Burke, Caldwell, Catawba and Alexander counties, posted a 3.3% April unemployment rate, down from 3.4% in March and 3.4% in April 2025.

Statewide, unemployment rates decreased in 57 counties, increased in eight and were unchanged in 35. Hyde County had the state’s highest April unemployment rate at 5.7%, while Currituck County had the lowest at 2.7%.

Commerce officials cautioned that the county figures are not seasonally adjusted and are subject to monthly and annual revisions. The agency also noted that employment estimates follow seasonal patterns, making year-over-year comparisons especially important.

The local takeaway is not that Burke County’s job market is weak. A 3.3% unemployment rate remains low by historical standards, and Burke’s official jobless rate is better than the statewide unadjusted rate.

But the new numbers do raise a deeper local question: Is Burke County’s workforce shrinking because more people are retiring, leaving the labor force, commuting elsewhere, moving away, or simply not being captured by the official unemployment measure?

That question matters for employers trying to hire, for economic developers trying to recruit industry, and for families watching whether Burke County can offer enough good jobs to keep people here.

The next statewide unemployment update, covering May, is scheduled for June 23. The next county-level report is expected after that.

—AVN