U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Economy at a Glance
PRINT:Print
Southeast Office Southeast Links

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
Data Series Back
Data		 Aug
2025		 Sept
2025		 Oct
2025		 Nov
2025		 Dec
2025		 Jan
2026

Labor Force Data

Civilian Labor Force(1)

 167.6 169.1 (2)- 168.4 (p)167.9 (p)165.7

Employment(1)

 160.9 163.0 (2)- 161.4 (p)162.3 (p)159.2

Unemployment(1)

 6.7 6.1 (2)- 7.0 (p)5.6 (p)6.5

Unemployment Rate(3)

 4.0 3.6 (2)- 4.1 (p)3.3 (p)3.9

Nonfarm Wage and Salary Employment

Total Nonfarm(4)

 156.0 155.8 156.5 156.7 156.5 (p)154.6

12-month % change

 -0.3 -0.5 -0.3 -0.6 -0.5 (p)-0.9

Mining, Logging, and Construction(4)

 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.9 (p)5.8

12-month % change

 -1.7 1.7 -3.3 1.7 1.7 (p)3.6

Manufacturing(4)

 38.9 38.5 38.4 38.2 38.1 (p)38.0

12-month % change

 -1.5 -2.3 -1.5 -2.1 -2.6 (p)-2.3

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities(4)

 30.8 30.5 30.9 31.1 31.3 (p)30.4

12-month % change

 -0.6 -1.9 -0.3 -1.3 -0.9 (p)-2.9

Information(4)

 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 (p)1.4

12-month % change

 0.0 7.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 (p)0.0

Financial Activities(4)

 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 (p)3.1

12-month % change

 0.0 3.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 (p)-3.1

Professional and Business Services(4)

 13.3 13.2 13.2 13.1 13.0 (p)12.7

12-month % change

 0.0 0.0 -0.8 -1.5 -2.3 (p)-3.1

Education and Health Services(4)

 19.5 19.5 19.7 19.7 19.7 (p)19.7

12-month % change

 2.1 2.6 2.6 3.1 3.1 (p)2.1

Leisure and Hospitality(4)

 15.6 15.2 15.1 15.1 15.2 (p)14.9

12-month % change

 -0.6 -1.3 0.7 -0.7 0.0 (p)2.1

Other Services(4)

 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.2 (p)5.2

12-month % change

 -1.9 0.0 -1.9 0.0 0.0 (p)0.0

Government(4)

 22.3 23.2 23.5 23.8 23.5 (p)23.4

12-month % change

 0.9 0.4 0.4 -0.4 0.4 (p)0.0

Footnotes
(1) Number of persons, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted.
(2) Data unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in appropriations.
(3) In percent, not seasonally adjusted.
(4) Number of jobs, in thousands, not seasonally adjusted. See About the data.
(p) Preliminary

Data extracted on: April 16, 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Note: More data series, including additional geographic areas, are available through the "Databases & Tables" tab at the top of this page.

 

Geographically based survey data available from BLS:

Employment & Unemployment

Prices & Living Conditions

Compensation & Working Conditions