Unemployment rates climbed in every North Carolina county in July, and the widest gaps in the state fall inside this region.

Edgecombe and Halifax counties posted the highest rates in the state at 5.5 percent each, according to figures released Wednesday by the N.C. Department of Commerce. Currituck County had the lowest at 2.8 percent. Among the state’s 15 metro areas, Rocky Mount had the highest rate at 4.9 percent and Raleigh the lowest at 3.2 percent. All 15 metros saw increases over the month.

The statewide not-seasonally-adjusted rate was 3.7 percent. Roughly 44,910 fewer North Carolinians were working in July than in June, while the number counted as unemployed rose by 9,044 to 193,903.

Month-to-month movement in these figures reflects ordinary seasonal patterns, which is why the state advises watching the annual comparison instead. On that measure the picture is better: rates fell in 90 counties over the year, rose in four and held steady in six, and 14 of 15 metros improved.

The seasonally adjusted statewide rate held at 3.6 percent in July, half a point below the national rate of 4.1 percent and down three-tenths from a year ago. North Carolina employers cut 700 jobs during the month, ending a stretch of growth, with professional and business services adding 6,100 and private education and health services losing 3,800.

The state’s labor force declined by 25,100 participants in July, according to the Richmond Fed, a drop that holds the unemployment rate down without reflecting new hiring.

The persistent spread between Wake County and the counties along the Roanoke River has held for years. August county figures are due at the end of September.