SALISBURY — Rowan County’s unemployment rate dipped slightly last month to 8.8 percent, down from 8.9 percent in March.
In April, there were 70,996 people in the labor force in Rowan, down from 71,560 in March.
The county’s unemployment rate was 9.3 percent in April 2012.
Unemployment rates decreased in 97 of North Carolina’s counties in April, increased in two and remained the same in one. All 14 of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases.
Graham County had the highest unemployment rate at 15.9 percent, while Orange County had the lowest at 5.3 percent. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount at 12.3 percent had the highest rate and Durham-Chapel Hill at 6.3 percent had the lowest. The April statewide rate, which has not been seasonally adjusted yet, was 8.5 percent.
The number of workers employed statewide increased in April by 17,251 to 4,291,469, while those unemployed fell 19,921 to 398,043. Since April 2012, the number of workers employed statewide increased 26,567, while those unemployed decreased 20,171.