Stanly County’s unemployment rate increased from April to May, according to the latest figures released Wednesday by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

Stanly’s rate in March was 3.2%. It decreased to 2.8% in April before rising to 3.1% for May.

This rate makes the county the 16th lowest for unemployment in the state.

There are 30,216 recorded in the county’s workforce and 953 among the unemployed.

The highest unemployment rate in the county since 2020 was in April of that year, when it jumped from 4.6% in March to 11.4% in April as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

For the state, 95 of the 100 counties saw an increase in May 2023. Scotland County once again had the highest unemployment with a rate of 6.3%. Buncombe once again had the lowest rate at 2.7%.

All of the state’s 15 metro areas had rate increases, with Rocky Mount the highest rate at 4.8% and Asheville the lowest at 2.8%.