How many jobs were added in North Carolina last month?
Refreshed monthly
North Carolina gained 600 jobs in September 2026, ranking it 18th 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 8,300 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+600
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
18th
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
September 2026's gain of 600 jobs was the 3rd consecutive month of positive job growth in North Carolina. Monthly job growth was down from the 9,000 new jobs in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), North Carolina gained jobs in 48 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the 13th-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 600 more jobs in September 2026 in North Carolina than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which North Carolina sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were private educational services, transportation, warehousing, and utilities, and retail trade. Private educational services added 4,000 jobs, more than the entire economy. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities gained 1,100 jobs, while retail trade added 1,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were professional, scientific, and technical services, non-durable goods, and arts, entertainment, and recreation. Professional, scientific, and technical services lost 1,600 jobs in September 2026, while non-durable goods lost 900 jobs and arts, entertainment, and recreation lost 800 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 300 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in North Carolina (September 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 13,300 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 September 2026 ranged from a loss of 800 jobs in the Greensboro, NC area to a gain of 1,300 jobs in the Durham, NC 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. | +1,300 | |
| 2. | +700 | |
| 3. | +200 | |
| 4. | +100 | |
| 5. | +100 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | -100 | |
| 9. | -100 | |
| 10. | -200 |
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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.
