Winston-Salem metro jobs up from a year ago as June unemployment rate edges higher

Preliminary June labor data show the Winston-Salem metropolitan area had more payroll jobs than a year earlier, even as its unemployment rate edged up from May and manufacturing employment weakened.

The latest federal figures, released July 29, 2026, put the area’s June unemployment rate at 3.6%, compared with 3.5% in May. The figures cover the Winston-Salem metropolitan area, not Winston-Salem city alone.

The headline numbers

The resident-based data counted approximately 317,700 people in the civilian labor force in June. About 306,100 were employed, while 11,600 were unemployed.

In May, the area had approximately 319,400 people in the civilian labor force, including about 308,000 employed and 11,400 unemployed. The June unemployment rate was therefore slightly higher even as the size of the measured labor force and employment total declined from May.

These figures describe people based on where they live. They include residents who may work inside or outside Winston-Salem and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Payroll jobs dipped from May but rose over the year

A separate establishment-based measure counted approximately 281,600 nonfarm payroll jobs in the Winston-Salem area in June. That was down from 282,600 jobs in May, but up 1.3% from June 2025.

The two measures are not directly interchangeable. The labor-force survey counts residents and whether they are employed or looking for work. The payroll survey counts jobs reported by establishments located in the area. One person can hold more than one payroll job, and a resident may work in a different market.

June figures are preliminary and may be revised.

Growth was uneven across sectors

Several major sectors recorded year-over-year gains. Education and health services had approximately 65,300 jobs, up 4.5% from June 2025. Leisure and hospitality reached about 32,200 jobs, up 4.9%.

Professional and business services had approximately 33,900 jobs, a 1.8% year-over-year increase. Trade, transportation and utilities counted about 47,400 jobs, up 0.2% from a year earlier.

Manufacturing remained a weaker part of the picture. The sector had approximately 33,200 jobs in June, down 3.8% from June 2025.

The figures show more payroll jobs than a year earlier, but they do not indicate broad-based expansion across every industry. They also do not by themselves show wage levels, job quality, vacancies, layoffs or individual employer performance.

Business group reports active pipeline

Greater Winston-Salem, Inc. reported separate business-community indicators in a second-quarter update published July 14. The organization reported 86 active projects in its economic-development pipeline and said it held 21 ribbon cuttings during the quarter.

Those are organizational measures, not government labor statistics. A project in a pipeline or a ribbon cutting does not by itself document confirmed job creation.

What residents should take from the data

For workers and job seekers, the June figures point to year-over-year strength in health and education, hospitality, professional and business services, and trade-related work. Manufacturing’s decline shows why the regional job picture cannot be summarized by one unemployment rate.

Employers and local businesses can use the figures to track broad sector direction, but they need current job postings and employer-specific information to assess hiring opportunities.

The clearest takeaway is mixed: the Winston-Salem metro had more payroll jobs than a year earlier, but payroll employment slipped from May, the unemployment rate rose slightly, and performance varied by industry. The numbers are preliminary, metro-based and best understood as complementary measures of employment conditions.

Sources

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