Staff report
Unemployment rates decreased in 66 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in December, according to statistics released today by the state’s Employment Security Commission.
Rowan’s unemployment rate is 11.3 percent with an available labor force of 68,478 people; meaning 60,717 are employed and 7,761 people in the available workforce are not. November’s rate was 11.7 percent.
The rate increased in 27 counties and remained the same in seven.
“Rates were down in nearly two-thirds of the state’s counties over-the-month,” said ESC Chairman Lynn R. Holmes. “Continued focus on job growth and finding work for our customers remains our priority.”
North Carolina had 40 counties that were at or below the state’s unadjusted unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.
Rates decreased in all 14 of the state’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, such as Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem and Wilmington.
The number of workers employed (not-seasonally adjusted) decreased in December by 15,685, to 4,010,124. The number of people unemployed decreased, by 14,248. The number of unemployed people in December was 430,539 workers, compared with 444,787 in November.
Orange County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in December, at 5.8 percent. Meanwhile, Graham County had the highest unemployment rate, at 15.8 percent.
The rates in counties surrounding Rowan:
• Cabarrus — 10.1 percent, down from 10.2 in November 2010.
• Davidson — 11.1 percent, down from 11.5 in November.
• Davie — 9.5 percent, up from 9 in November.
• Iredell — 10.9 percent, down from 11.2 in November.
• Stanly — 10.9, down from 11.2 in November.
Unemployment rates in some of the metropolitan statistical areas for December were:
• Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC-SC — 10.7 percent, down from 11 percent.
• Durham-Chapel Hill — 6.9 percent, down from 7.2 percent.
• Greensboro-High Point — 10.2 percent, down from 10.6 percent.
• Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton — 12.4 percent, down from 12.8 percent.
• Raleigh-Cary — 7.8 percent, down from 8.2 percent.
• Wilmington — 9.9 percent, down from 10 percent.
• Winston-Salem — 9.2 percent, down from 9.4 percent.