Metro area unemployment rates still rising

Published August 1, 2018 by Veronica Garabelli

Unemployment continued to rise in Virginia’s metro areas in June.

Nonetheless, jobless rates remain low. The Lynchburg area had the highest rate, 4 percent, while Northern Virginia was the lowest at 2.7 percent.

The Virginia Employment Commission reported on Wednesday that all 11 of the commonwealth’s metropolitan statistical areas saw their unemployment rates increase during the month.

June’s results reflect a pattern that emerged in May when eight MSAs saw rate increases while in three other areas the jobless numbers were unchanged from the previous month.

The rate increases seen in June ranged from three-tenths of a percentage point in Northern Virginia and the Staunton-Waynesboro area to eight-tenths of a point in the New River Valley.

The VEC statistics are not seasonally adjusted, meaning they do not reflect seasonal fluctuations in the workforce.

Using unadjusted figures, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in June, up from 3.6 percent in May while Virginia’s jobless rate rose from 2.9 to 3.3 percent during the same time.

With seasonally adjusted figures, the U.S. rate was 4 percent in June while the Virginia rate was 3.2 percent.

A breakdown on the metro-area unemployment figures shows:

Bristol area: 3.7 percent in June, up from 3.2 percent in May.
Charlottesville: 3.1 percent, up from 2.5 percent.
Hampton Roads: 3.5 percent, up from 3.1 percent.
Harrisonburg: 3.5 percent, up from 2.9 percent.
Lynchburg: 4 percent, up from 3.3 percent.
New River Valley: 3.7 percent, up from 2.9 percent.
Northern Virginia: 2.7 percent, up from 2.4 percent.
Richmond: 3.4 percent, up from 3 percent.
Roanoke: 3.4 percent, up from 2.9 percent.
Staunton-Waynesboro: 3.1 percent, up from 2.8 percent.
Winchester: 2.9 percent, up from 2.5 percent.

Among all cities and counties in the commonwealth, Arlington continued to have the lowest jobless rate in June, 2.2 percent, while Petersburg had the highest rate, 6.5 percent.