BOONE — Creating more jobs and losing fewer to layoffs, the Western North Carolina economy continued to slowly improve in August.
The WNC Economic Index increased by .02 points to 110.9 for the month, the seventh consecutive gain, according the Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis at Appalachian State University.
“The August numbers showed continued positive movement, though a bit slower than in the previous two months,” said Professor Todd Cherry, director of the center and a professor in the Department of Economics in Appalachian’s Walker College of Business. “The slower growth is not a concern because the large moves in the previous two months were not sustainable. Gains in August are more in line with a solid, longer term growth rate.
The monthly snapshot measures joblessness, job creation and other economic indicators across the 25 western counties covered by the AdvantageWest economic development partnership.
The Asheville metro area of Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison counties enjoyed the greatest drop in unemployment, down to an average 6.3 percent for the month. The Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir metro is also included in the survey with 9.1 percent unemployment.
Across all 25 counties, unemployment averaged
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