2022 -2023 NORTH CAROLINA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

FORECAST reports historical seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rates for North Carolina and the United States and forecasts the seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rate for North Carolina. The seasonal adjustment accounts for variations in labor market conditions that cause regular fluctuations in the unemployment level each month.

The graph at the top of this page provides a summary of the monthly unemployment rates for 2022 and 2023. The solid blue line represents the United States seasonally adjusted historic unemployment rate. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for North Carolina is represented by the solid green line. The North Carolina seasonally adjusted unemployment rate forecast is represented by the solid red line. The seasonally adjusted rates for the United States and North Carolina can be compared directly and provide more reliable estimates than the unadjusted rates.

The United States and North Carolina started 2022 with unemployment rates of 4.0 percent and 3.9 percent respectively. The U.S. unemployment rate has fallen consistently to 3.5 percent by the end of 2022. The North Carolina rate fell during the middle of 2022 but has risen back up to 3.9 percent by the end of the year. The North Carolina unemployment rate has declined during the first quarter of 2023 to 3.5 percent in March. The North Carolina rate will increase slightly over the year to 3.9 percent by December 2023.