Counties with the highest unemployment in Virginia
While today's unemployment rates are significantly lower than the COVID-19 pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, the fear of job losses remains as workers stare down an uncertain economic future.
Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Virginia using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in February 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Experts are mixed in their views of a potential recession. The return of student loan payments, continually high gas prices, persistent inflation, and insurance price escalations are just a few of the factors that could limit consumer spending and potentially prompt another recession.
The last economic recession before the pandemic—the Great Recession of 2007-09—sent unemployment rates up to 10% as of October 2009, and a full recovery took years.
But as of March 2024, the national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 3.8%—down slightly from the previous month. Regional and state employment varies widely depending on local economies. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2% in North Dakota to 5.3% in California.
Read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Virginia.
#50. Bedford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 39,341 people (1,142 unemployed)
#49. Henrico County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 191,936 people (5,604 unemployed)
#48. Chesterfield County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 2.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 200,418 people (5,741 unemployed)
#47. Bland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,909 people (87 unemployed)
#46. Scott County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,327 people (283 unemployed)
#45. Goochland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,281 people (374 unemployed)
#44. Orange County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,875 people (534 unemployed)
#43. Franklin County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,446 people (831 unemployed)
#42. Spotsylvania County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 71,155 people (2,162 unemployed)
#41. Stafford County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 77,575 people (2,363 unemployed)
#40. Wythe County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 14,546 people (452 unemployed)
#39. Amherst County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,106 people (463 unemployed)
#38. Dinwiddie County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,226 people (450 unemployed)
#37. Caroline County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,865 people (511 unemployed)
#36. Pittsylvania County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 31,334 people (1,005 unemployed)
#35. Charles City County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,699 people (123 unemployed)
#34. Amelia County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,482 people (215 unemployed)
#33. Craig County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 2,408 people (82 unemployed)
#32. Richmond County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,032 people (137 unemployed)
#31. Greensville County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,291 people (148 unemployed)
#30. Campbell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 26,425 people (893 unemployed)
#29. Cumberland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,938 people (173 unemployed)
#28. Charlotte County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,289 people (183 unemployed)
#27. Lunenburg County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 5,401 people (190 unemployed)
#26. Prince George County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,920 people (559 unemployed)
#25. Mecklenburg County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,574 people (489 unemployed)
#24. Smyth County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,172 people (516 unemployed)
#23. Patrick County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 7,255 people (270 unemployed)
#22. Appomattox County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,298 people (272 unemployed)
#21. Lee County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,373 people (310 unemployed)
#20. Russell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,147 people (409 unemployed)
#19. Henry County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,397 people (906 unemployed)
#18. Westmoreland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,616 people (368 unemployed)
#17. Carroll County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,875 people (495 unemployed)
#16. Accomack County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,139 people (625 unemployed)
#15. Northampton County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,542 people (224 unemployed)
#14. Prince Edward County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,457 people (425 unemployed)
#13. Wise County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 13,047 people (529 unemployed)
#12. Halifax County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 15,755 people (648 unemployed)
#11. Sussex County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,731 people (155 unemployed)
#10. Alleghany County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,536 people (274 unemployed)
#9. Essex County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,747 people (247 unemployed)
#8. Tazewell County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 15,573 people (674 unemployed)
#7. Brunswick County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,059 people (267 unemployed)
#6. Page County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,694 people (555 unemployed)
#5. Buckingham County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.5%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,796 people (304 unemployed)
#4. Dickenson County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,709 people (215 unemployed)
#3. Lancaster County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,774 people (272 unemployed)
#2. Buchanan County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,482 people (304 unemployed)
#1. Northumberland County
- February unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,698 people (317 unemployed)
This story features data reporting by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
