RALEIGH -- Unemployment was up last month in 97 of the state's 100 counties.

The county-by-county numbers released Wednesday morning by the Department of Commerce showed unemployment only dropped in one county, Jones, and was unchanged in two others, Montgomery and Perquimans.

Graham County has the highest rate of unemployment in the state at 18.5 percent. Orange has the lowest at 5.9 percent.

In the state's largest metro areas:
• Wake County was up from 7.0 percent in November to 7.3 percent in December.
• Mecklenburg County was up from 9 percent to 9.3 percent.
• Guilford County gained .3 percent, moving to 9.5 percent
• Forsyth County is a 8.8 percent, up from 8.5
• New Hanover jumped almost a full percentage point from 8.6 percent to 9.5 percent

Click here for the full county-by-county report (pdf)

North Carolina's overall unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in December after three straight months of decline.