Numbers from the state Commerce Department show the unemployment rate fell all across the state during the past year. But analysts say the economic recovery is still modest.
Who has the lowest unemployment in the state? Chatham and Orange Counties - 4.6 percent.
Where is the highest jobless rate? Graham County - 12.7 percent.
While the jobless rate fell in all 100 counties, the number of people who reported having jobs decreased in about one-third of the counties.
John Quinterno is principal at South by North Strategies in Chapel Hill. He specializes in economic and social policy.
“It’s not that the labor market has not been in recovery, it has been. But the recovery has been very modest relative to the need," said Quinterno.
Quinterno’s breakdown of the numbers also shows the jobless rates being reported today are falling but still elevated. The unemployment rates are still higher than they were six years ago.
Over the last year, all 14 metropolitan areas in the state also experienced a drop in their jobless rates. Rocky Mount's labor force contracted the most, by 2.8 percent.