By Jheri Hardaway
Staff Writer
The North Carolina Department of Commerce released August County and Area Unemployment figures on September 30th. We learned that unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) decreased in 91 counties in August 2026 and remained unchanged in nine. Edgecombe County had the highest unemployment rate at 5.4 percent while Currituck County had the lowest at 2.7 percent. Twelve of the state’s metro areas experienced rate decreases, and three remained unchanged. Among the metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.8 percent while Asheville and Raleigh each had the lowest at 3.1 percent. The not seasonally adjusted statewide rate was 3.6 percent.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports unemployment at 4.1 percent, but that does not give us the entire picture. Their October 2nd update reads, “Both the unemployment rate, at 4.2 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.1 million, changed little in September. The unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range of 4.1 percent to 4.3 percent since March. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for people who are Black 7.0 percent. The jobless rates for adult men 3.9 percent, adult women 3.6 percent, teenagers 14.5 percent, and people who are White 3.6 percent, Asian 2.9 percent, or Hispanic 4.7 percent showed little change over the month. The Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity reports the rate of unemployment at 24.9 percent as of July 2026. What is real? More so, what isn’t being reported?
The underemployment numbers are missing from the wider conversation. Many people are working but not full-time, despite seeking full-time employment. Some people get up and go to work every day, yet they still are not earning an actual living wage. According to experts, a living wage is $26,000 per year; at the current rate of inflation, this still puts hard-working people in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle. Think about it: productive, hardworking Americans cannot sustain themselves despite maxing out their working hours. Underemployment is a major issue, reports indicate that there have been 140,000 evictions in Atlanta, Georgia. Minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009. The eviction process is not easy. It takes time. People are truly struggling.
The NC Budget & Tax Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, their website indicates “We work to document and analyze fiscal and economic conditions in partnership with community leaders and North Carolinians with lived experience of poverty to advance systemic solutions through public policy that drive anti-racist outcomes.” Alex Campbell, a Public Policy Analyst with the organization, reports, “Young people who are just entering the labor force for the first time are struggling to find employment. People who lose their job are finding it increasingly difficult to find new ones. As a result, under-employment is rising, as workers are forced to take jobs that they are overqualified for or to take part-time jobs to pay for the essentials. Even in NC, which is relatively better situated than many states, 28 percent of workers who have lost their job and received unemployment benefits have not been able to find a job within a year after losing their job. Where do we go from here? Hopefully, to the polls to elect leaders with vision that can create opportunities for the people.
