LIST: Counties with the highest unemployment rate in Virginia

by: STACKER.com

Posted: Jul 10, 2022 / 02:22 PM EDT

Updated: Jul 10, 2022 / 02:22 PM EDT

(STACKER) —Stacker compiled a list of the counties with the highest unemployment rate in Virginia using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As of May of this year, national unemployment is at 3.6% — as it was in both March and April, marking a three-month stagnation—following a steady drop since the COVID-affected peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020.

Unemployment remains a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.

Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in May 2022, which as of this writing is the most current Bureau data.

#25: Northampton County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
• 1 month change: +0.3%
• 1 year change: -2.1%
• Total labor force: 5,460 (201 unemployed)

#24: Prince Edward County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
• 1 month change: +0.8%
• 1 year change: -1.7%
• Total labor force: 11,011 (402 unemployed)

#23: Wise County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.7%
• 1 month change: +0.5%
• 1 year change: -2.0%
• Total labor force: 14,510 (540 unemployed)

#22: Norton

• Current unemployment rate: 3.8%
• 1 month change: +0.6%
• 1 year change: -1.2%
• Total labor force: 1,796 (69 unemployed)

#21: Dickenson County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
• 1 month change: +0.7%
• 1 year change: -1.8%
• Total labor force: 5,174 (203 unemployed)

#20: Tazewell County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
• 1 month change: +0.5%
• 1 year change: -1.5%
• Total labor force: 16,289 (628 unemployed)

#19: Covington County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
• 1 month change: +0.1%
• 1 year change: -1.9%
• Total labor force: 2,411 (95 unemployed)

#18: Richmond County

• Current unemployment rate: 3.9%
• 1 month change: +0.4%
• 1 year change: -1.8%
• Total labor force: 116,105 (4533 unemployed)

#17: Lynchburg County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.0%
• 1 month change: +0.8%
• 1 year change: -1.3%
• Total labor force: 35,054 (1415 unemployed)

#16: Norfolk County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.0%
• 1 month change: +0.4%
• 1 year change: -1.9%
• Total labor force: 107,844 (4332 unemployed)

#15: Buckingham County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
• 1 month change: +0.6%
• 1 year change: -1.3%
• Total labor force: 6,214 (253 unemployed)

#14: Newport News County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.1%
• 1 month change: +0.4%
• 1 year change: -1.7%
• Total labor force: 86,510 (3534 unemployed)

#13: Hampton County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
• 1 month change: +0.4%
• 1 year change: -1.7%
• Total labor force: 62,940 (2641 unemployed)

#12: Lexington County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
• 1 month change: +1.2%
• 1 year change: -1.1%
• Total labor force: 2,263 (95 unemployed)

#11: Williamsburg County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.2%
• 1 month change: +1.0%
• 1 year change: -1.0%
• Total labor force: 6,652 (280 unemployed)

#10: Franklin County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.4%
• 1 month change: +0.3%
• 1 year change: -2.7%
• Total labor force: 3,549 (156 unemployed)

#9: Brunswick County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
• 1 month change: +0.3%
• 1 year change: -2.0%
• Total labor force: 6,012 (277 unemployed)

#8: Portsmouth County

• Current unemployment rate: 4.6%
• 1 month change: +0.3%
• 1 year change: -2.2%
• Total labor force: 43,299 (2002 unemployed)

#7: Danville County

• Current unemployment rate: 5.0%
• 1 month change: +0.5%
• 1 year change: -1.8%
• Total labor force: 19,531 (978 unemployed)

#6: Buchanan County

• Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
• 1 month change: +0.6%
• 1 year change: -1.8%
• Total labor force: 6,572 (333 unemployed)

#5: Sussex County

• Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
• 1 month change: +0.8%
• 1 year change: -2.2%
• Total labor force: 3,461 (176 unemployed)

#4: Martinsville

• Current unemployment rate: 5.1%
• 1 month change: +0.2%
• 1 year change: -2.9%
• Total labor force: 5,900 (302 unemployed)

#3: Emporia

• Current unemployment rate: 5.2%
• 1 month change: 0.0%
• 1 year change: -2.4%
• Total labor force: 2,450 (128 unemployed)

#2: Hopewell County

• Current unemployment rate: 5.3%
• 1 month change: +0.3%
• 1 year change: -2.4%
• Total labor force: 9,282 (488 unemployed)

#1: Petersburg County

• Current unemployment rate: 6.9%
• 1 month change: +0.2%
• 1 year change: -3.8%
• Total labor force: 12,228 (847 unemployed)