Unemployment remained low for November in metro areas

All 11 major metropolitan areas in Virginia recorded unemployment rates below 3%

Published January 3, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Although not each individual city or county fell under a 5% unemployment rate in November 2019, Virginia’s 11 major metropolitan areas recorded unemployment rates below 3%, according to data released Friday by the Virginia Employment Commission.

Statewide, the locality with the lowest unemployment was Arlington County, at 1.7%. Buchanan County in far Southwest Virginia had the highest unemployment rate, at 5.5%.

Among the major metropolitan areas, Northern Virginia had the lowest unemployment rate, at exactly 2%, not moving the needle from October. The only metropolitan area that dropped its unemployment rate in November was the Staunton-Waynesboro area, from 2.3% to 2.2%.

Bristol, Hampton Roads, Harrisonburg, New River Valley, Northern Virginia and Richmond all maintained their unemployment rates from October to November.

Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Winchester’s each ended November with an additional 0.1% of the population unemployed.

Bristol and Lynchburg hold the unemployment rates in the state among major metro areas, at 2.8%, with Lynchburg’s unemployment rate moving up 0.1%.

None of the metropolitan areas’ unemployment rates moved more than 0.1% from October to November 2019.

Here is a rundown of the Virginia metro areas:

Bristol: 2.8% in November, same as October.

Charlottesville: 2.2%, up from 2.1%.

Hampton Roads: 2.7%, same as October.

Harrisonburg: 2.2%, same as October.

Lynchburg: 2.8%, up from 2.7%.

New River Valley: 2.6%, same as October.

Northern Virginia: 2%, same as October.

Richmond: 2.5%, same as October.

Roanoke: 2.5%, up from 2.4%.

Staunton-Waynesboro: 2.2%, down from 2.3%.

Winchester: 2.2%, up from 2.1%.