Charlotte-area unemployment falls to 5.3 percent

The Charlotte-area unemployment rate declined to 5.3 percent in December from 5.5 percent in November, the North Carolina Commerce Department reported Wednesday. A year ago, the jobless rate in the area was 6.6 percent.

The report showed a slight drop in the Charlotte-area employment level in December from November, meaning the unemployment rate decline could have been caused by people dropping out of the labor force or retiring rather than finding jobs.

Charlotte’s jobless rate is slightly higher than the Mecklenburg county rate of 5.1 percent and the statewide rate of 5.2 percent. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 5.6 percent. The U.S. Labor Department will release the national employment report for January on Friday.

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 10:17 AM with the headline "Charlotte-area unemployment falls to 5.3 percent."