Which counties in North Carolina are adding jobs fastest?

Pender County (+26.6%), Brunswick County (+24.3%) and Chatham County (+22.1%) added private-sector jobs fastest in North Carolina between 2018 and 2023.

Data as of 2023 · updated November 5, 2026

See the ranking All North Carolina counties

All 100 ranked North Carolina counties

North Carolina counties ranked by private-sector job growth
Rank	County	Change 2018–23	Private jobs 2023	Residents
1	Pender County	+26.6%	11,591	72,111
2	Brunswick County	+24.3%	33,646	174,702
3	Chatham County	+22.1%	17,432	85,111
4	Avery County	+21.5%	5,509	18,110
5	Davie County	+21.2%	11,701	45,855
6	Lincoln County	+20.3%	23,461	98,654
7	New Hanover County	+19.0%	121,389	245,959
8	Durham County	+17.4%	229,497	347,240
9	Granville County	+16.8%	18,335	61,421
10	Johnston County	+16.4%	49,067	256,448
11	Mitchell County	+16.1%	4,297	15,062
12	Wake County	+16.1%	556,250	1,257,235
13	Mecklenburg County	+15.6%	732,418	1,233,383
14	Pamlico County	+15.3%	2,542	12,758
15	Cabarrus County	+14.5%	77,218	249,725
16	Franklin County	+14.5%	12,194	82,037
17	Iredell County	+13.7%	80,234	211,798
18	Jackson County	+13.2%	13,583	45,039
19	Watauga County	+12.9%	20,781	54,786
20	Macon County	+12.5%	10,736	39,232
21	Moore County	+12.1%	36,324	110,619
22	Henderson County	+12.0%	38,824	122,375
23	Union County	+11.3%	66,082	267,674
24	Surry County	+11.1%	32,143	72,287
25	Harnett County	+10.8%	24,279	150,137
26	Currituck County	+10.0%	5,317	33,158
27	Richmond County	+9.8%	12,523	42,041
28	Madison County	+9.4%	3,298	22,553
29	Carteret County	+9.4%	21,789	70,469
30	Rowan County	+9.4%	49,366	155,096
31	Davidson County	+9.2%	41,445	180,182
32	Camden County	+9.2%	547	11,315
33	Dare County	+9.1%	16,320	38,245
34	Stanly County	+9.0%	18,013	68,830
35	Hoke County	+8.9%	6,204	56,939
36	Yancey County	+8.8%	3,797	19,084
37	Craven County	+8.8%	30,858	105,025
38	Transylvania County	+8.6%	8,603	34,211
39	Greene County	+8.5%	2,294	20,700
40	Ashe County	+8.4%	6,441	27,514
41	Orange County	+8.3%	51,807	152,498
42	Perquimans County	+8.2%	1,466	13,490
43	Caldwell County	+8.2%	23,930	81,105
44	Lenoir County	+7.6%	25,562	55,837
45	Gaston County	+7.6%	72,268	246,558
46	Scotland County	+7.3%	10,272	33,322
47	Caswell County	+7.1%	1,911	22,563
48	Duplin County	+7.1%	14,132	51,571
49	Chowan County	+6.8%	4,343	14,082
50	Clay County	+6.7%	1,822	12,239
51	Onslow County	+6.7%	38,655	217,175
52	Gates County	+6.7%	882	10,234
53	Bladen County	+6.4%	10,734	30,007
54	Polk County	+6.2%	4,151	20,533
55	Alexander County	+6.2%	8,199	36,958
56	Forsyth County	+5.9%	190,157	401,718
57	Haywood County	+5.6%	16,322	63,369
58	Edgecombe County	+5.4%	12,243	49,121
59	Cumberland County	+5.1%	98,142	338,473
60	Swain County	+5.1%	3,724	14,024
61	Warren County	+5.0%	2,165	18,898
62	Cherokee County	+5.0%	7,678	30,830
63	Beaufort County	+4.8%	13,893	44,670
64	Rutherford County	+4.4%	16,815	65,745
65	Pitt County	+3.9%	64,563	182,936
66	Wilkes County	+3.6%	19,772	66,233
67	Alamance County	+3.5%	61,726	186,177
68	Catawba County	+3.3%	85,704	170,172
69	Bertie County	+2.5%	4,983	17,086
70	Buncombe County	+2.3%	127,409	277,417
71	Lee County	+2.1%	25,852	70,258
72	Nash County	+1.9%	38,350	99,365
73	Wilson County	+1.6%	32,253	81,150
74	Guilford County	+1.6%	265,517	562,234
75	Columbus County	+1.5%	11,658	50,487
76	Hyde County	+1.4%	782	4,554
77	Northampton County	+1.3%	4,427	16,491
78	Cleveland County	+1.1%	30,800	103,325
79	Pasquotank County	+1.1%	11,207	42,201
80	Person County	+0.4%	8,458	40,636
81	Robeson County	+0.3%	31,788	119,941
82	Wayne County	+0.2%	33,629	122,278
83	Alleghany County	−0.3%	2,163	11,479
84	Vance County	−1.2%	13,108	42,638
85	McDowell County	−1.4%	13,495	45,198
86	Burke County	−1.8%	24,509	88,655
87	Montgomery County	−3.2%	7,600	26,403
88	Randolph County	−3.2%	38,094	149,516
89	Rockingham County	−4.3%	21,282	94,195
90	Sampson County	−5.1%	12,611	61,504
91	Stokes County	−6.1%	5,767	46,126
92	Hertford County	−6.7%	6,870	19,015
93	Halifax County	−6.9%	12,340	46,534
94	Tyrrell County	−8.0%	543	3,537
95	Washington County	−8.6%	2,527	10,638
96	Martin County	−9.3%	4,847	21,601
97	Yadkin County	−10.4%	8,235	38,325
98	Anson County	−14.7%	4,477	21,758
99	Jones County	−18.3%	687	9,575
100	Graham County	−21.2%	1,439	8,190

How this is ranked

The change in paid employees of private employers in mid-March between 2018 and 2023 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns). Government jobs and the self-employed are not counted. Counties with fewer than 1,000 residents, or without a figure for the same period as the others, are not ranked.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how ranks and figures are built. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Get the report for any North Carolina county — $99

The quarterly County Growth Report for any county as a PDF: growth, jobs, wages, permits, announcements, sales where allowed, ranks against peer counties and a methods page. Pay once, no subscription.

Choose a county — $99

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Not useful? Email us within 14 days for a full refund
Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)
Secure Stripe checkout (Apple Pay/Google Pay)
Instant PDF download
PDF + CSV of every table

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Questions

Which county in North Carolina has the fastest job growth?

Pender County: +26.6%, ahead of Brunswick County (+24.3%) and Chatham County (+22.1%), of 100 North Carolina counties ranked.

How is this ranking calculated?

More county rankings for North Carolina

Private-sector job growth in other states

Across the U.S.