How many jobs were lost in North Carolina last month?
Refreshed monthly
North Carolina lost 700 jobs in July 2026, ranking it 35th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 7,900 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-700
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
35th
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
July 2026’s loss of 700 jobs was the second consecutive month of negative job growth in North Carolina. Monthly job growth was up from the 2,300 lost jobs in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), North Carolina gained jobs in 47 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the 12th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+50,300) while job growth was weakest in October 2024 (-19,900).
There were 700 fewer jobs in July 2026 in North Carolina than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which North Carolina sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in July 2026 were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and wholesale trade. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 3,500 jobs, more than the entire economy. Professional, scientific, and technical services gained 2,400 jobs, while wholesale trade added 1,500. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were private educational services, durable goods, and health care and social assistance. Private educational services lost 2,800 jobs in July 2026, while durable goods lost 1,500 jobs and health care and social assistance lost 1,000 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 1,000 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in North Carolina (July 2026)
How has North Carolina's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, North Carolina gained an average of 3,325 jobs every month. That's higher than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,567, and the highest since 2023. The 2025 average ranks as 15th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 16,900 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 21,000 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, North Carolina gained an average of 3,300 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 15 metro areas primarily in North Carolina during July 2026 ranged from a loss of 500 jobs in the Greensboro, NC area to a gain of 2,400 jobs in the Charlotte, NC area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within North Carolina
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2,400 | |
| 2. | +1,100 | |
| 3. | +1,100 | |
| 4. | +400 | |
| 5. | +100 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | +0 | |
| 9. | +0 | |
| 10. | -100 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
