How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated May. 22, 2026Refreshed monthly
North Carolina gained 16,000 jobs in April 2026, ranking it second 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 8,800 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+16K

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

2nd

rank among states in monthly job growth (April 2026)
April 2026's gain of 16,000 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in North Carolina. Monthly job growth was up from the 11,100 new jobs in March 2026.
During the latest five year period (May 2021 to April 2026), North Carolina gained jobs in 48 out of 60 months. April 2026 had the 13th-highest 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 16,000 more jobs in April 2026 in North Carolina than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, May 2021–April 2026, seasonally adjusted

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

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in April 2026 were accommodation and food services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and construction. Accommodation and food services added 4,500 jobs, more than the entire economy. Professional, scientific, and technical services gained 3,600 jobs, while construction added 2,700. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

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The health care and social assistance sector lost 800 jobs during April 2026.

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

How does North Carolina's job growth in 2026 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 3,300 jobs every month. That's higher than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,600, and the highest since 2023. The 2025 average ranks as 15th-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 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 April 2026 ranged from a loss of 100 jobs in the Rocky Mount, NC area to a gain of 6,100 jobs in the Raleigh, 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.