Jobless rates fall in Virginia metro areas

Published January 7, 2014 by Robert Powell, III

Unemployment rates fell in all of Virginia’s metro areas during November, according to the Virginia Employment Commission.

The metro jobless rates, which are not adjusted for seasonal factors, ranged from 4 percent in Northern Virginia to 6.7 percent in the Danville area.

The biggest decline in the unemployment rate, from October to November, was  a 1.8 percentage-point drop in the Bristol area.

The smallest decline were seen in Richmond and Bristol areas, four tenths of a percentage point.

A breakdown shows:

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford area: 5.2 percent in November, down from 5.8 percent in October.
Charlottesville area: 4.1 percent, down from 4.6 percent
Danville area: 6.7 percent, down from 7.2 percent
Hampton Roads: 5.5 percent, down from 6 percent
Harrisonburg area: 4.7 percent, down from 5.3 percent
Bristol area: 6.3 percent, down from 8.1 percent
Lynchburg area: 5.5 percent, down from 6.1 percent
Northern Virginia: 4 percent, down from 4.6 percent
Richmond area: 5.4 percent, down from 5.8 percent
Roanoke area: 5.1 percent, down from 5.6 percent
Winchester area: 4.5 percent, down from 4.9 percent

In addition to the 11 metro areas, unemployment in three additional “micropolitan” areas were:

Culpeper area: 5.2 percent, down from 5.8 percent
Martinsville area: 8.6 percent, down from 8.8 percent
Staunton-Waynesboro area: 4.9 percent, down from 5.2 percent

Statewide the seasonally unadjusted jobless rate for Virginia was 5 percent in November while the national rate was 6.6 percent.

Adjusted for season influences on the labor market, Virginia’s November jobless rate was 5.4 percent while the national rate