County's unemployment rate dips

North Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased to 5 percent in April from 5.4 percent in March, while Alamance County’s rate dropped to 4.7 percent from 5 percent, amazing facts - according numbers released Wednesday by the state Department of Commerce.

Overall, unemployment rates decreased in 95 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, increased in three and remained the same in two.

Alamance County had the state’s 19th lowest rate.

Buncombe County had the state’s lowest, at 3.7 percent.

Scotland County had the highest, 9.5 percent.

As for surrounding counties:

■ Caswell County’s unemployment rate stood at 5.4 percent, down from 5.8 percent. The county has a labor force of 9,749, with 531 people without a job.

■ Orange County’s unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent, one of the lowest in the state from 4.5 percent. The county has a labor force of 76,032, with 3,116 unemployed.

■ Guilford County’s unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent from 5.4 percent. The county has a labor force of 261,006, with 13,261 unemployed.

■ Randolph County’s unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent from 5.2 percent, with 3,280 of its 68,553-person labor force jobless.

The other counties with the lowest unemployment rates were Chatham, also, at 4.1 percent and Wake, at 4.2 percent.

The number of workers employed statewide decreased overall by 170 to 4,614,275, while the number of unemployed decreased 18,743 to 243,285.