Buncombe County’s unemployment rate remained steady in June, according to figures released Wednesday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
The county’s unemployment rate was 4.5%. That’s unchanged from May and higher than the statewide average of 3.7%.
For the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area — which includes Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison counties — the jobless rate was 4.2% in June, up slightly from 4.1% the previous month.
The elevated numbers suggest the region’s economy continues to feel the impact from the historic storm.
Before Hurricane Helene, Buncombe County had among the lowest unemployment rates in the state. In October, it surged to the highest of North Carolina’s 100 counties, at 8.8%.
A large portion of the labor market’s post-storm struggles has been tied to the leisure and hospitality industry, which was hit particularly hard. While things have improved in recent months — Buncombe now ranks 79th of 100 — there were still 3,000 fewer leisure and hospitality jobs in June compared with the same point last year.
Across Western North Carolina, Graham and Swain counties had the lowest unemployment rate in June, at 3.3%, while Rutherford County had the highest at 5.1%.
The N.C. Department of Commerce releases statewide and county unemployment figures every month.
