Raleigh, North Carolina Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Raleigh fell 0.1 percentage points in March 2021 to 4.3%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.9 percentage points lower than the North Carolina rate. The unemployment rate in Raleigh peaked in May 2020 at 11.7% and is now 7.4 percentage points lower. You can also compare Raleigh unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | March 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 6.0% | -0.2 | +1.6 |
| North Carolina | 5.2% | -0.5 | +1.3 |
| Raleigh | 4.3% | -0.1 | +0.4 |
Unemployment Rate: Raleigh, North Carolina, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Raleigh, North Carolina Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Raleigh peaked in May 2020 at 78,691. There are now 47,622 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. Raleigh employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Raleigh, North Carolina) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | March 2021 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | 31,069 | -412 | +3,428 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Raleigh, North Carolina Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
North Carolina Unemployment Rate |
Raleigh Unemployment Rate |
Raleigh Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 |
6.1% | — | — | — |
| March 2021 |
6.0% | 5.2% | 4.3% | 31,069 |
| February 2021 |
6.2% | 5.7% | 4.4% | 31,481 |
| January 2021 |
6.3% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 34,479 |
| December 2020 |
6.7% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 38,524 |
| November 2020 |
6.7% | 6.4% | 5.4% | 38,584 |
| October 2020 |
6.9% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 38,694 |
| September 2020 |
7.8% | 7.3% | 6.5% | 44,715 |
| August 2020 |
8.4% | 6.8% | 5.8% | 39,765 |
| July 2020 |
10.2% | 8.8% | 7.7% | 53,528 |
| June 2020 |
11.1% | 8.8% | 6.9% | 46,711 |
| May 2020 |
13.3% | 13.5% | 11.7% | 78,691 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
