California has lost 4,400 construction jobs in the past year; New Jersey has shed 5,500.

But in North Carolina, construction companies have added almost 10,000 positions.

That explains a lot about the rest of the state economy.

North Carolina is rapidly gaining workers who are moving to the state in search of opportunity. Large businesses such as Fidelity and GlaxoSmithKline are expanding operations, attracting workers from elsewhere. Retirees are coming for the temperate climate.

Those trends are keeping the housing market healthier than in other states and also sparking demand for restaurants, doctors and other services. That, in turn, creates more jobs and attracts more people.

"North Carolina's economy is on a bit of a roll," said Mark Vitner, an economist with Wachovia in Charlotte. "Job growth is remarkably strong throughout a good part of the state."

Indeed, the jobless rate in February was the lowest in six years. During the month, only 4.5 percent of those who wanted a job didn't have one, according to data released Friday by the N.C. Employment Security Commission.

That was down from 4.6 percent in January and tied the U.S. rate for the second straight month. The state jobless rate has not been so low since January 2001, when it was 4.4 percent.

Almost 19,000 more people were employed in the state in February than in the same month a year earlier. The health-care, hospitality and financial sectors logged some of the strongest gains.

Major metropolitan areas such as Charlotte and the Triangle are getting much of the benefit. In February, the jobless rate in the eight-county Raleigh-Durham-Cary statistical area was 3.6 percent, unchanged from January. The state provides the raw data, which Wachovia adjusts for seasonal effects.

"Certainly, these are numbers that we want to see," said Mike Walden, an N.C. State University economist. "It's again indicative of the fact that when the national economy is growing, North Carolina tends to do better."

Not every sector is thriving. Manufacturing continues to shed jobs. This week, Hanesbrands, the underwear maker spun off from Sara Lee, announced that it will shutter a Winston-Salem factory that employs 610.

Walden predicts that the first half of the year will be a little weak nationally, which will probably spill over to North Carolina.

Wall Street is dealing with the fallout of the subprime mortgage industry, which is roiling some areas. Oil prices are rising. The Federal Reserve, trying to contain inflation, is unlikely to cut interest rates, as some observers expected.

Higher-than-anticipated interest rates could delay investment and cool job growth, even in North Carolina. But Walden does not expect it to last long. He predicts a stronger national economy in the second half of the year.

"And that will trickle down to North Carolina," he said.