How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated Apr. 14, 2026Refreshed monthly
North Carolina gained 5,200 jobs in January 2026, ranking it 20th 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 9,200 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+5.2K

month to month change in number of jobs (January 2026)

20th

rank among states in monthly job growth (January 2026)
January 2026's gain of 5,200 jobs was the 3rd consecutive month of positive job growth in North Carolina. Monthly job growth was up from the 4,100 new jobs in December 2025.
During the latest five year period (February 2021 to January 2026), North Carolina gained jobs in 49 out of 60 months. January 2026 had the 21st-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 5,200 more jobs in January 2026 in North Carolina than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, February 2021–January 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which North Carolina sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in January 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in January 2026 were health care and social assistance, construction, and wholesale trade. Health care and social assistance added 3,900 jobs. Construction gained 1,300 jobs, while wholesale trade added 1,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

The health care and social assistance sector gained 3,900 jobs during January 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in North Carolina (January 2026)

How does North Carolina's job growth in 2025 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 6,700 jobs every month. That's higher than the 2024 average monthly increase of 3,900, and the highest since 2023. The 2025 average ranks as ninth-highest in job growth since 2023.
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 20,600 on average every month in 2022.

In 2025, North Carolina gained an average of 6,700 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among 15 metro areas at least partially in North Carolina during January 2026 ranged from a loss of 400 jobs in the Goldsboro, NC area to a gain of 1,700 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

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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.