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103 <br /> Employment <br /> The North Carolina Department of Commerce has estimated the percentage of unemployment in <br /> the County to be as follows: <br /> 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 <br /> January 4.9% 3.3% 3.2% 3.0% 3.3% 3.7% <br /> February 4.6 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 <br /> March 4.1 2.9 3.0 3.4 3.3 <br /> April 3.7 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.0 <br /> May 4.0 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 <br /> June 4.4 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.5 <br /> July 4.3 3.8 3.5 3.9 3.5 <br /> August 4.2 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.7 <br /> September 3.2 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.4 <br /> October 3.3 3.2 3.1 2.8 --'- <br /> November 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.7 <br /> December 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1 <br /> 1 Due to the Federal government shutdown,October 2025 unemployment was not calculated. <br /> Note: Not seasonally adjusted. <br /> Source:N.C.Department of Commerce:Labor and Economic Analysis Division. <br /> The County's unemployment rate averaged 3.3% in 2025, as compared to 3.7% for the State and <br /> 4.3%for the United States. <br /> Government and Major Services <br /> Government Structure. The County has a commission-manager form of government with a seven- <br /> member Board of Commissioners comprising the governing body. The commissioners are elected on a <br /> partisan basis for staggered four-year terms. The County manager is appointed by and serves at the pleasure <br /> of the Board of Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners annually adopts a balanced budget and <br /> establishes a tax rate for the support of the County's programs. The County Manager has the responsibility <br /> of administering these programs in accordance with the policies and the annual budget adopted by the Board <br /> of Commissioners. <br /> Education. Two separate school administrative units, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools <br /> ("CHCCS")and Orange County Schools("OCS"),provide public education in the County. CHCCS serves <br /> the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and a small area outside the Towns,and OCS serves the remainder <br /> of the County. CHCCS has the highest average SAT scores in the State for public school systems, and its <br /> high schools have been recognized in national publications for their excellent academic performance. Non- <br /> partisan elected boards of education administer both units. <br /> The State of North Carolina(the "State")pays for the basic minimum education program for each <br /> school administrative unit. Funding for this basic program is provided by appropriations from the State <br /> Public School Fund. Additional funding is provided by special State and federal grants. The County also <br /> appropriates funds to each school system, which provides for program expansions beyond the State basic <br /> minimum. The County has consistently maintained among the highest per pupil appropriations of any <br /> county in the State. A special school district tax is levied in CHCCS. This tax is a significant revenue <br /> source for the CHCCS system. (See the section "Tax Information" below.) The County Commissioners <br /> 30 <br />