Unemployment rates decreased in 66 of North Carolina's 100 counties in October. The rates increased in 18 counties and remained the same in 16. Over the year, the unemployment rates dropped in 90 counties, remained the same in four counties, and increased in six. North Carolina had 45 counties that were at or below the state's unadjusted unemployment rate of 9.1 percent. The number of unemployed people in October was 408,852 workers, compared with 417,450 in September.