Greensboro jobless rate fell as employment and labor force shrank

Greensboro’s unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in September 2026 from 4.3% a year earlier, while the number of employed residents fell by 522 and the labor force shrank by 1,763. The estimate counted 5,284 unemployed residents, 1,241 fewer than in September 2025.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Local Area Unemployment Statistics series identifies the area as Greensboro city. These estimates are based on where people live, not where they work; they describe residents, not the number of jobs located within city limits. The BLS labels the September estimates preliminary and not seasonally adjusted; preliminary figures may be revised.

What the year-over-year figures show i

September-to-September is the clearest comparison for estimates that have not been adjusted for seasonal patterns. The figures were:

Does the lower rate mean more Greensboro residents were working? No. Employment was 143,277, down from 143,799 a year earlier. The rate compares unemployed people with the labor force; here, the unemployed count fell by 1,241 while employment fell by 522. The labor force counts people who are employed or unemployed, so those two changes add to its 1,763-person decline. The larger drop in unemployment lowered its share of the smaller labor force.

A Greensboro Journal review of the BLS city series found that 3.6% was the lowest September unemployment rate since at least 2015.

August change and the next local estimate i

The rate also fell from 4.3% in August to 3.6% in September. Over that month, the labor force grew by 1,265 and employment by 2,273, while unemployment fell by 1,008. Because the estimates are not seasonally adjusted, the monthly increase in employment should not be read on its own as an underlying trend.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce published its September county and area figures on Oct. 28. Its publication calendar schedules the October 2026 local-area estimates for Dec. 2.