Department of Numbers

Wilmington, North Carolina Unemployment

The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Wilmington fell 0.0 percentage points in September 2023 to 3.1%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower than the North Carolina rate. The unemployment rate in Wilmington peaked in April 2020 at 16.4% and is now 13.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 3.1% in June 2023, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.0 percentage points. You can also compare Wilmington unemployment with unemployment in other cities.

Unemployment Rate September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
National 3.8% 0.0 +0.3
North Carolina 3.4% +0.1 -0.5
Wilmington 3.1% 0.0 -0.3
Note: Metro level data is now seasonally adjusted.1 All comparisons are made with September 2023 data as October metro level unemployment data has not yet been released.

Unemployment Rate: Wilmington, North Carolina, National

Wilmington, North Carolina monthly unemployment rate chart

Note: Recessions shown in gray.

Wilmington, North Carolina Unemployed

The number of people unemployed in Wilmington peaked in April 2020 at 22,547. There are now 17,442 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 5,053 in February 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 52.

Unemployed Persons September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
Wilmington 5,105 +32 -390

Number of Unemployed Persons

Wilmington, North Carolina Unemployment History

Date National
Unemployment Rate
North Carolina
Unemployment Rate
Wilmington
Unemployment Rate
Wilmington
Unemployed
October
2023
3.9% 3.4%
September
2023
3.8% 3.4% 3.1% 5,105
August
2023
3.8% 3.3% 3.1% 5,073
July
2023
3.5% 3.3% 3.1% 5,091
June
2023
3.6% 3.3% 3.1% 5,117
May
2023
3.7% 3.4% 3.2% 5,168
April
2023
3.4% 3.4% 3.2% 5,215
March
2023
3.5% 3.5% 3.2% 5,255
February
2023
3.6% 3.6% 3.3% 5,265
January
2023
3.4% 3.8% 3.3% 5,359
December
2022
3.5% 3.8% 3.4% 5,435
November
2022
3.6% 3.9% 3.4% 5,450

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.