June unemployment rates in the Cape Fear continue to decline, according to the monthly report released Wednesday by the Labor and Economic Analysis Division of the N.C. Department of Commerce. The labor market improvement was fairly consistent across the state, and rates for Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties mirrored that trend, dropping significantly from those of June 2013.

New Hanover County reported the lowest unemployment in June, at 6.1 percent, 2.2 percentage points lower than that of June 2013. Pender County’s rate was 6.8 percent, down 2.8 percentage points from a rate of 9.6 percent in June 2013. And Brunswick County, with a 6.9 percent unemployment rate, showed a drop of 2.2 percentage points from its June 2013 rate of 9.1 percent.

For labor reporting purposes, Brunswick County remains in the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) through 2014.

Among North Carolina’s 14 MSAs, Wilmington had the 6th lowest unemployment.  Asheville had the lowest unemployment, at 4.9 percent. Rocky Mount had the highest, at 9.6 percent.

June’s overall, not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for North Carolina was 6.5 percent, according to the report. Of the state’s 100 counties, 81 – including New Hanover and Pender – experienced a drop in unemployment over the previous month; 10, including Brunswick County, posted slightly higher unemployment rates; and nine showed no change.

Urban counties tend to be adding jobs faster than rural counties, although rural Currituck County, in the extreme northeast corner of the state, reported the lowest county rate of 4.2 percent. Scotland County continued to log the highest unemployment rate – 12.1 percent – of any North Carolina county.

Looking at employment change in key industrial sectors between June 2013 and June 2014, the Wilmington MSA saw its biggest gains in mining, logging and construction (9.2 percent), leisure and hospitality (10.5 percent), professional and business services (5.4 percent) and financial activities (4.5 percent).

The MSA's biggest sector decline over the year was in manufacturing, which registered a 2.7 percent downturn.