Dare County unemployment sets new record high for May of 19.6 percent

After jumping to the highest level ever seen in April due to closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment in Dare County set a new record mark for the month of May.

Data from the North Carolina Department of Commerce shows Dare County’s unemployment rate at 19.6 percent in May, with 4,050 people submitting a jobless claim from a workforce of 20,646.

The previous high for the month of May was set in 2011 at 10.5 percent.

Dare County also had the second highest unemployment rate in North Carolina in May, trailing only Swain County.

Bertie and Chowan, each at 8.1 percent, had the state’s lowest rate. Currituck was at 12.2 percent, and Hyde was at 14.0 percent.

Dare’s jobless figure in April was an all-time record of 24.5 percent, eclipsing the previous high mark of 21.3 percent set in January 2012.