Rutherford County, NC jobs, unemployment and layoffs

Rutherford County’s unemployment rate is 3.6%. No layoff notices here in the last 12 months. 9 open professional jobs are in its cities.

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Rutherford County economy

3.6%
unemployment, Sep 2026
4.4% the month before
26,062
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
64,850
people in Rutherford County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$49,771
median household income
Source: Census ACS
31%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS

Where Rutherford County ranks

Where Rutherford County placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.

November 2026

#18Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Southeast−0.8 points · of 100

Rutherford County outlook: Steady

Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.

Private-sector jobs down 0.2% from 2022 to 2025
Population up 2.1% from 2020 to 2025
Unemployment 3.6%, down 0.8 points from a year ago

Learn and get funded in Rutherford County

Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.

Rutherford County layoffs

No layoff notices naming Rutherford County in the last 12 months are on file. The WARN Act covers employers with 100 or more workers, so smaller layoffs are not in it.

All layoff notices in the state

Employers hiring most in Rutherford County

Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.

Amazon2 open roles
CRH Public2 open roles
Fountain Services, LLC.1 open role
Owens Corning1 open role
R-S Middle School1 open role
Rutherford County Schools1 open role
Search Solution Elite1 open role

Workforce development and job centers

The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Rutherford County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.

Laid off in North Carolina? How to file for unemployment in North Carolina (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).

Foothills Workforce Development Board
Cleveland, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford

NCWorks Career Center- Rutherford County
Rutherfordton · Comprehensive · 828-286-3042
Monday - Thursday 8:00am 4:30pm Closed 12pm-1pm for lunch Friday 8am-12pm

Cities in Rutherford County

Other North Carolina counties

All of North Carolina

Laid off or looking for work in Rutherford County?

See what to do first and the jobs open near you.

See your options after a layoff

Sources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from North Carolina’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. North Carolina unemployment benefits and severance rules.

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