Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Goldsboro, NC MSA — October 2026
Goldsboro wages outpace the state as its labor pool tightens.
Goldsboro's average weekly wage rose to $970 in Q1 2026, a 4.9% year-over-year gain that outpaces North Carolina's 2.9% statewide rate, even as unemployment fell to 3.9% amid a shrinking state labor force.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Goldsboro unemployment rate: 3.9% — Aug 2026, down 0.5 pts year-over-year
- Goldsboro average weekly wage: $970 — Q1 2026, up from $925 (4.9% YoY)
- NC statewide wage growth: 2.9% — Q2 2026, slowest since Q1 2020
- NC labor force participation: 57.8% — vs 61.6% ten-year high (Aug 2026)
Key takeaways
Local wage growth is outpacing both the state and the nation.
Goldsboro's $970 average weekly wage in Q1 2026 marked a 4.9% year-over-year gain, well above North Carolina's 2.9% statewide wage growth rate reported for Q2. That divergence is consistent with a metro-level labor market tighter than the state average, even as unemployment sits at a still-low 3.9%.
Production-sector concentration makes Goldsboro a manufacturing bellwether.
Production occupations account for 8.4% of local employment versus 5.5% nationally, far above the national share. State manufacturing employment has already softened (-1,100 jobs in September per NC Commerce), making any further manufacturing pullback a disproportionate risk to Goldsboro's overall momentum compared with more diversified metros.
Falling unemployment may mask a shrinking labor pool.
Goldsboro's jobless rate dropped alongside a statewide labor force contraction of 1.6% over the past 12 months and participation holding at 57.8%, well below the state's 10-year high of 61.6%. A declining unemployment rate driven by fewer people in the labor force constrains how much local expansion the workforce can support.
Manufacturing wage gains stand out against broader metro softness.
Manufacturing production worker pay rose moderately in Goldsboro even as roles like CDL truck driver and construction laborer posted notable local declines against stable-to-rising national figures. The divergence points to sector-specific strength distinct from a broad-based metro wage acceleration, a distinction that matters for reading the local economy's overall health.
Median advertised pay by role — Goldsboro, NC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,297 | $25,528 | $28,263 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $22,602 | $25,145 | $27,040 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,830 | $34,003 | $35,627 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,853 | $70,200 | $84,991 | Significant decline | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,597 | $30,735 | $32,012 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $30,161 | $31,617 | $31,617 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $54,326 | $62,400 | $62,592 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,206 | $38,894 | $41,914 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $33,280 | $35,360 | $46,800 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $24,860 | $31,200 | $32,240 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,191 | $37,440 | $42,000 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $36,884 | $40,381 | $40,851 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $58,221 | $70,533 | $76,000 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $79,500 | $93,542 | $102,527 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $114,700 | $145,322 | $161,466 | Stable | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $100,620 | $127,369 | $142,605 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant * | $55,984 | $67,581 | $76,738 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $70,600 | $88,450 | $96,908 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $55,000 | $69,079 | $77,500 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $51,559 | $64,714 | $79,131 | Significant increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $63,945 | $89,501 | $91,024 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,940 | $47,502 | $50,411 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $44,070 | $60,000 | $60,000 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $51,195 | $70,000 | $82,500 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $81,669 | $98,104 | $109,673 | Stable | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $89,199 | Significant increase | Moderate increase |
| Manufacturing | $39,835 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $38,602 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $61,722 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $75,725 | Significant increase | Stable |
| Financial Activities | $50,733 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $50,389 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $58,512 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,520 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,158 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Goldsboro's unemployment rate fell to 3.9% in August, down half a point year-over-year and tracking a statewide pattern in which every North Carolina metro saw unemployment decline into September, consistent with a labor market still tightening even as national job growth moderates. Average weekly wages reached $970 in Q1 2026, up from $925 a year earlier, a roughly 4.9% gain that outpaces North Carolina's slowing 2.9% statewide wage growth rate and suggests local wage pressure has not cooled at the same rate as the state overall.
What it means
Goldsboro's wage growth is outrunning the state average at a moment when North Carolina's labor force participation has declined 1.6% over the past year, a combination that points to a tightening local labor supply alongside steady demand — a relevant signal for any commerce leader assessing whether the metro can absorb new investment or expansion without wage-driven cost pressure. Production work's outsized local footprint (8.4% of employment versus 5.5% nationally) means manufacturing-linked wage and output shifts carry disproportionate weight in Goldsboro's overall economic trajectory compared with more diversified peer metros. Current conditions suggest local economic development and workforce agencies track labor force participation alongside unemployment, since a low jobless rate paired with constrained worker supply tells a different expansion story than a low rate paired with ample slack.
Looking ahead
Expected data release: October MSA-level unemployment and wage figures for Goldsboro are not due until December 2, with September county-level data arriving November 20. Commerce and policy readers should treat current 3.9% and $970 figures as a two-month-old snapshot when briefing stakeholders.
Emerging pressure point: North Carolina manufacturing has already turned negative statewide (-1,100 jobs in September, -8,800 over 12 months), a trend worth monitoring given Goldsboro's outsized production-sector footprint. A continued statewide manufacturing slide would likely show up first in Wayne County employment data given the metro's concentration.
Worth watching: Statewide WARN filings have hit manufacturing hardest (34 notices, 3,444 workers) over the past 90 days, including the MasterBrand Cabinets filing in nearby Kinston affecting 391 workers. No Goldsboro-specific WARN notices have surfaced yet, but regional manufacturing disruptions bear watching for spillover effects on the local labor pool.
Policy-relevant signal: Labor force participation divergence between North Carolina's 57.8% current rate and its 61.6% ten-year high will shape how much of any Goldsboro wage or job growth reflects capacity expansion versus a shrinking worker base. Government economists should track whether participation stabilizes or continues declining into year-end.
Sources
- NC Department of Commerce — Goldsboro MSA unemployment rate 3.9% in August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW — Goldsboro average weekly wage $970 in Q1 2026, up from $925
- NC Department of Commerce (DMJPS) — NC statewide wage growth slowed to 2.9% in Q2 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics OES — Production occupations are 8.4% of Goldsboro employment vs 5.5% nationally
- NC Office of State Budget and Management — NC labor force declined 1.6% over 12 months through July 2026
- NC WARN Notice Database — MasterBrand Cabinets WARN notice for 391 workers in Kinston
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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