Buncombe County’s unemployment rate declined to 5.3% in March, in a sign of the region’s continued recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The figure — down from 6.2% in February — is still more than twice what it was in March 2024, when the county had among the lowest unemployment rates in the state. Statewide, the March unemployment rate was 3.7%. The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
Buncombe County now ties with Mitchell County for the state’s fourth-highest unemployment rate, with more than 7,500 people in Buncombe searching for work.
In the broader Asheville metro area — which includes Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison counties — the unemployment rate in March was 4.8%, down from 5.5% the previous month.
The region’s tourism economy took a hard hit after the historic storm and continues to struggle. According to the latest statistics, there are 2,300 fewer jobs in the leisure and hospitality industries in the Asheville metro area compared with the same time last year. The number of manufacturing jobs is down by about 600, while there are 1,400 more jobs in private education and health services compared with March 2024.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce releases unemployment figures every month.
