Vital signs.

• Position: Statistical data

Latest Previous Previous Change month month year from last EMPLOYMENT (000s) year Employed 4,352.7 4,335.2 4,324.3 0.7% Civilian labor force 4,646.4 4,645.5 4,672.5 (0.6) Manufacturing 448.8 447.5 444.2 1.0 Service 3,549.0 3,534.1 3,476.2 2.1 Government 713.5 710.0 719.2 (0.8) Unemployed 293.6 310.3 348.2 (15.7) Avg. manufacturing workweek (hours) 43.6 43.9 41.5 5.1% Avg. hourly production wage $16.59 $16.67 $16.66 (0.4) 5.8%

Estimated unemployment rate in North Carolina at the end of 2015, according to projections by economists Harry Davis of Appalachian State University and John Connaughton of UNC Charlotte. The rate was 9.4% in December 2012 and 6.9% in December 2013.

Latest Previous Previous Change month month year from last year TAXABLE RETAIL SALES (1) ($000s) Alamance 163,608.8 160,162.9 144,247.1 13.4% Buncombe 367,018.8 351,370.6 328,335.4 11.8 Cabarrus 231,838.8 228,384.2 204,919.3 13.1 Catawba 163,987.1 154,559.0 147,541.2 11.1 Cumberland 310,000.6 297,200.3 280,732.2 10.4 Durham 518,622.3 436,160.7 441,484.5 17.5 Forsyth 374,203.6 362,277.0 344,069.9 8.8 Gaston 144,828.3 145,270.0 132,421.2 9.4 Guilford 541,723.7 511,698.1 476,225.9 13.8 Iredell 164,989.5 165,681.8 153,553.7 7.4 Mecklenburg 1,546,927.7 1,476,360.1 1,337,711.1 15.6 New Hanover 316,883.3 329,698.5 280,347.6 13.0 Onslow 158,677.5 162,896.6 152,809.5 3.8 Pitt 175,726.4 168,875.8 160,093.5 9.8 Wake 1,118,266.3 1,075,786.9 984,181.6 13.6 N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY INDEX OF ECONOMIC INDICATORS

The index, a comparison of the state economy from month to month created by N.C. State economist Michael Walden, is calculated from the Economic Cycle Research Institute's Weekly Leading Index, North Carolina initial claims for unemployment benefits, North Carolina building permits, and average weekly work hours and earnings for Tar Heel manufacturing workers. Raw data, which is seasonally adjusted, comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.

Latest Previous month month AIR PASSENGER BOARDINGS (2) Asheville 37,392 33,939 Charlotte * 1,902,165 1,744,324 Fayetteville 18,882 18,502 Greensboro 77,477 68,040 Greenville 6,554 4,868 Jacksonville 12,107 12,640 New Bern 11,477 10,907 Raleigh/Durham 431,658 384,148 Wilmington 35,473 34,848 ELECTRIC UTILITIES (3) Dominion Residential customers 101,324 101,317...