Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 100 largest places in North Carolina, Wendell has the lowest unemployment rate (1.3%), followed by Weddington and Lewisville. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 100 places in North Carolina that we cover, the median is 4.6% and the average 5.1%; the figure runs from 1.3% (Wendell) to 16.1% (Kinston). That is a spread of 12.1 times between the two ends. The state figure is 4.7%; 47 of the 100 places are above it and 53 at or below.
The first five are Wendell, Weddington, Lewisville, Waynesville, Morehead City. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: unemployment from the ACS is a survey estimate with a margin of error, and small places can swing widely. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Unemployment (ACS) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wendell | Wake County | 1.3% | 13,064 | $95,787 | $1,457 |
| 2 | Weddington | Union County | 1.8% | 13,805 | $190,766 | $1,927 |
| 3 | Lewisville | Forsyth County | 1.9% | 13,828 | $100,917 | $1,095 |
| 4 | Waynesville | Haywood County | 1.9% | 10,502 | $54,923 | $1,070 |
| 5 | Morehead City | Carteret County | 1.9% | 9,806 | $56,233 | $1,134 |
| 6 | Matthews | Mecklenburg County | 2.1% | 30,577 | $108,611 | $1,764 |
| 7 | Summerfield | Guilford County | 2.1% | 11,116 | $160,275 | $1,521 |
| 8 | Cornelius | Mecklenburg County | 2.5% | 32,783 | $113,767 | $1,722 |
| 9 | Archdale | Randolph County | 2.5% | 12,087 | $64,757 | $1,034 |
| 10 | Kernersville | Forsyth County | 2.7% | 27,830 | $71,918 | $1,082 |
| 11 | Clayton | Johnston County | 2.8% | 29,320 | $78,822 | $1,661 |
| 12 | Harrisburg | Cabarrus County | 3.0% | 19,633 | $148,254 | $2,640 |
| 13 | Lake Norman of Iredell (unincorporated) | Iredell County | 3.1% | 12,494 | $173,542 | $1,327 |
| 14 | Myrtle Grove (unincorporated) | New Hanover County | 3.1% | 12,637 | $113,463 | $1,463 |
| 15 | Hendersonville | Henderson County | 3.2% | 15,408 | $53,449 | $1,332 |
| 16 | Huntersville | Mecklenburg County | 3.2% | 63,969 | $120,516 | $1,834 |
| 17 | Morrisville | Wake County | 3.3% | 31,422 | $125,396 | $1,858 |
| 18 | Holly Springs | Wake County | 3.4% | 45,248 | $135,578 | $2,021 |
| 19 | Knightdale | Wake County | 3.4% | 20,214 | $103,220 | $1,674 |
| 20 | Cary | Wake County | 3.5% | 179,306 | $134,905 | $1,738 |
| 21 | Washington | Beaufort County | 3.5% | 9,726 | $40,186 | $856 |
| 22 | Shelby | Cleveland County | 3.6% | 22,100 | $48,376 | $945 |
| 23 | Fuquay-Varina | Wake County | 3.6% | 40,485 | $115,497 | $1,720 |
| 24 | Carrboro | Orange County | 3.6% | 21,204 | $85,743 | $1,470 |
| 25 | Rolesville | Wake County | 3.7% | 10,766 | $149,565 | $1,085 |
| 26 | Hickory | Catawba County | 3.8% | 44,258 | $64,576 | $1,063 |
| 27 | Lincolnton | Lincoln County | 3.8% | 11,783 | $46,320 | $965 |
| 28 | Apex | Wake County | 3.8% | 70,630 | $144,135 | $1,902 |
| 29 | Lake Norman of Catawba (unincorporated) | Catawba County | 3.8% | 9,906 | $112,656 | $1,319 |
| 30 | Morganton | Burke County | 3.8% | 17,646 | $51,355 | $944 |
| 31 | Durham | Durham County | 3.8% | 291,467 | $81,619 | $1,508 |
| 32 | Mebane | Alamance County | 3.9% | 19,538 | $83,174 | $1,283 |
| 33 | Asheboro | Randolph County | 4.0% | 27,580 | $47,197 | $906 |
| 34 | Belmont | Gaston County | 4.0% | 15,546 | $94,883 | $1,365 |
| 35 | Wake Forest | Wake County | 4.0% | 52,844 | $123,802 | $1,596 |
| 36 | Kannapolis | Cabarrus County | 4.0% | 57,890 | $73,836 | $1,319 |
| 37 | Mint Hill | Mecklenburg County | 4.1% | 27,556 | $100,860 | $1,528 |
| 38 | Davidson | Mecklenburg County | 4.1% | 15,660 | $166,556 | $1,652 |
| 39 | Hillsborough | Orange County | 4.1% | 9,724 | $98,163 | $1,368 |
| 40 | Mount Airy | Surry County | 4.2% | 10,633 | $40,275 | $725 |
| 41 | Wilmington | New Hanover County | 4.3% | 120,805 | $66,738 | $1,395 |
| 42 | Sanford | Lee County | 4.4% | 31,478 | $57,586 | $1,052 |
| 43 | Raleigh | Wake County | 4.4% | 481,031 | $85,395 | $1,572 |
| 44 | Mooresville | Iredell County | 4.4% | 52,381 | $89,647 | $1,626 |
| 45 | Clemmons | Forsyth County | 4.5% | 21,871 | $87,655 | $1,269 |
| 46 | Tarboro | Edgecombe County | 4.5% | 10,770 | $49,796 | $843 |
| 47 | Chapel Hill | Orange County | 4.5% | 61,607 | $85,989 | $1,613 |
| 48 | Lenoir | Caldwell County | 4.6% | 18,299 | $49,910 | $664 |
| 49 | New Bern | Craven County | 4.6% | 32,734 | $61,031 | $1,081 |
| 50 | Charlotte | Mecklenburg County | 4.6% | 903,844 | $82,068 | $1,612 |
| 51 | Thomasville | Davidson County | 4.6% | 27,321 | $60,935 | $879 |
| 52 | Monroe | Union County | 4.6% | 36,759 | $72,540 | $1,246 |
| 53 | Leland | Brunswick County | 4.7% | 29,607 | $91,977 | $1,735 |
| 54 | Waxhaw | Union County | 4.9% | 22,275 | $131,894 | $1,840 |
| 55 | Havelock | Craven County | 4.9% | 17,691 | $58,408 | $1,280 |
| 56 | Elon | Alamance County | 5.0% | 11,032 | $84,773 | $2,080 |
| 57 | Greensboro | Guilford County | 5.1% | 301,198 | $61,515 | $1,172 |
| 58 | Asheville | Buncombe County | 5.1% | 94,535 | $71,102 | $1,402 |
| 59 | Pinehurst | Moore County | 5.2% | 18,256 | $109,802 | $1,664 |
| 60 | High Point | Guilford County | 5.2% | 116,245 | $64,561 | $1,116 |
| 61 | Pineville | Mecklenburg County | 5.2% | 11,055 | $69,354 | $1,552 |
| 62 | Stallings | Union County | 5.3% | 16,886 | $115,974 | $1,882 |
| 63 | Indian Trail | Union County | 5.3% | 42,036 | $108,483 | $2,077 |
| 64 | Spring Lake | Cumberland County | 5.4% | 11,573 | $51,958 | $1,351 |
| 65 | Winterville | Pitt County | 5.4% | 10,725 | $83,193 | $1,534 |
| 66 | Mount Holly | Gaston County | 5.5% | 18,208 | $79,385 | $1,256 |
| 67 | Concord | Cabarrus County | 5.5% | 108,719 | $86,921 | $1,451 |
| 68 | Albemarle | Stanly County | 5.6% | 16,762 | $46,881 | $880 |
| 69 | Lumberton | Robeson County | 5.6% | 18,859 | $42,877 | $866 |
| 70 | Winston-Salem | Forsyth County | 5.7% | 252,037 | $59,268 | $1,087 |
| 71 | Gastonia | Gaston County | 5.7% | 82,884 | $64,059 | $1,204 |
| 72 | Spout Springs (unincorporated) | Harnett County | 5.7% | 11,242 | $92,402 | $2,010 |
| 73 | Murraysville (unincorporated) | New Hanover County | 5.8% | 16,339 | $81,167 | $1,777 |
| 74 | Salisbury | Rowan County | 5.8% | 35,825 | $53,716 | $1,071 |
| 75 | Piney Green (unincorporated) | Onslow County | 5.9% | 14,078 | $72,177 | $1,202 |
| 76 | Lexington | Davidson County | 6.0% | 19,690 | $43,128 | $893 |
| 77 | Newton | Catawba County | 6.2% | 13,333 | $62,015 | $1,091 |
| 78 | Garner | Wake County | 6.2% | 34,473 | $78,756 | $1,549 |
| 79 | Reidsville | Rockingham County | 6.4% | 14,585 | $42,921 | $822 |
| 80 | Burlington | Alamance County | 6.5% | 59,610 | $56,880 | $1,051 |
| 81 | Wilson | Wilson County | 6.7% | 48,370 | $52,485 | $971 |
| 82 | Southern Pines | Moore County | 6.7% | 16,420 | $88,535 | $1,354 |
| 83 | Statesville | Iredell County | 6.8% | 29,894 | $52,880 | $1,000 |
| 84 | Graham | Alamance County | 6.8% | 18,048 | $56,239 | $1,071 |
| 85 | Elizabeth City | Pasquotank County | 7.0% | 18,871 | $52,141 | $1,117 |
| 86 | Anderson Creek (unincorporated) | Harnett County | 7.1% | 13,927 | $87,287 | $1,251 |
| 87 | Smithfield | Johnston County | 7.2% | 12,116 | $43,270 | $658 |
| 88 | Jacksonville | Onslow County | 7.3% | 71,279 | $57,697 | $1,321 |
| 89 | Kings Mountain | Cleveland County | 7.7% | 12,039 | $49,564 | $959 |
| 90 | Fayetteville | Cumberland County | 7.9% | 210,815 | $58,407 | $1,250 |
| 91 | Rocky Mount | Nash County | 8.0% | 54,297 | $55,534 | $957 |
| 92 | Goldsboro | Wayne County | 8.0% | 34,383 | $48,540 | $971 |
| 93 | Roanoke Rapids | Halifax County | 8.1% | 14,856 | $53,690 | $858 |
| 94 | Hope Mills | Cumberland County | 8.2% | 17,939 | $65,774 | $1,141 |
| 95 | Eden | Rockingham County | 8.3% | 15,356 | $47,260 | $799 |
| 96 | Greenville | Pitt County | 9.0% | 92,857 | $49,748 | $1,007 |
| 97 | Henderson | Vance County | 9.4% | 14,885 | $39,969 | $848 |
| 98 | Laurinburg | Scotland County | 11.0% | 15,087 | $42,170 | $774 |
| 99 | Boone | Watauga County | 12.0% | 20,032 | $30,065 | $1,111 |
| 100 | Kinston | Lenoir County | 16.1% | 19,505 | $36,878 | $867 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Wendell, with 1.3% (among the 100 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 100 largest places in North Carolina by population.