Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW)

Fairfax County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 133 counties in 2014, at 579,539 jobs. Highland County had the lowest, at 534 jobs. The median was 9,688 jobs and the figure for Virginia was 3,654,831 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest579,539Fairfax County
Median9,688133 counties
Virginia3,654,831History

Map of counties, 2014

Accomack County: 12,660 jobsAlbemarle County: 50,562 jobsAlleghany County: 3,849 jobsAmelia County: 2,314 jobsAmherst County: 8,834 jobsAppomattox County: 3,023 jobsArlington County: 164,576 jobsAugusta County: 25,753 jobsBath County: 2,334 jobsBedford County: 18,645 jobsBland County: 1,980 jobsBotetourt County: 10,124 jobsBrunswick County: 3,980 jobsBuchanan County: 7,344 jobsBuckingham County: 3,168 jobsCampbell County: 16,351 jobsCaroline County: 5,512 jobsCarroll County: 6,069 jobsCharles City County: 1,566 jobsCharlotte County: 2,758 jobsChesterfield County: 124,399 jobsClarke County: 3,797 jobsCraig County: 666 jobsCulpeper County: 15,337 jobsCumberland County: 1,287 jobsDickenson County: 3,791 jobsDinwiddie County: 8,009 jobsEssex County: 4,040 jobsFairfax County: 579,539 jobsFauquier County: 21,076 jobsFloyd County: 2,933 jobsFluvanna County: 4,321 jobsFranklin County: 14,567 jobsFrederick County: 28,096 jobsGiles County: 4,571 jobsGloucester County: 9,278 jobsGoochland County: 13,943 jobsGrayson County: 2,490 jobsGreene County: 3,347 jobsGreensville County: 4,279 jobsHalifax County: 11,962 jobsHanover County: 48,167 jobsHenrico County: 179,377 jobsHenry County: 14,920 jobsHighland County: 534 jobsIsle of Wight County: 10,530 jobsJames City County: 27,639 jobsKing and Queen County: 885 jobsKing George County: 10,774 jobsKing William County: 3,479 jobsLancaster County: 4,499 jobsLee County: 4,445 jobsLoudoun County: 148,593 jobsLouisa County: 8,753 jobsLunenburg County: 2,508 jobsMadison County: 3,051 jobsMathews County: 1,437 jobsMecklenburg County: 11,354 jobsMiddlesex County: 3,142 jobsMontgomery County: 40,626 jobsNelson County: 3,951 jobsNew Kent County: 3,933 jobsNorthampton County: 5,065 jobsNorthumberland County: 2,411 jobsNottoway County: 5,632 jobsOrange County: 9,065 jobsPage County: 5,328 jobsPatrick County: 4,896 jobsPittsylvania County: 11,908 jobsPowhatan County: 7,954 jobsPrince Edward County: 8,426 jobsPrince George County: 14,839 jobsPrince William County: 119,463 jobsPulaski County: 13,642 jobsRappahannock County: 1,397 jobsRichmond County: 2,751 jobsRoanoke County: 35,269 jobsRockbridge County: 5,387 jobsRockingham County: 30,100 jobsRussell County: 6,494 jobsScott County: 4,655 jobsShenandoah County: 13,720 jobsSmyth County: 11,849 jobsSouthampton County: 3,566 jobsSpotsylvania County: 32,965 jobsStafford County: 40,375 jobsSurry County: 2,227 jobsSussex County: 3,692 jobsTazewell County: 15,565 jobsWarren County: 12,362 jobsWashington County: 20,390 jobsWestmoreland County: 3,277 jobsWise County: 12,449 jobsWythe County: 11,419 jobsYork County: 20,874 jobsAlexandria city: 94,946 jobsBristol city: 10,032 jobsBuena Vista city: 2,582 jobsCharlottesville city: 37,352 jobsChesapeake city: 95,718 jobsColonial Heights city: 10,673 jobsCovington city: 3,908 jobsDanville city: 26,324 jobsEmporia city: 3,432 jobsFairfax city: 19,664 jobsFalls Church city: 11,032 jobsFranklin city: 4,291 jobsFredericksburg city: 23,701 jobsGalax city: 6,029 jobsHampton city: 53,954 jobsHarrisonburg city: 30,204 jobsHopewell city: 8,025 jobsLexington city: 4,775 jobsLynchburg city: 51,172 jobsManassas city: 22,992 jobsManassas Park city: 2,848 jobsMartinsville city: 9,825 jobsNewport News city: 98,179 jobsNorfolk city: 134,423 jobsNorton city: 3,749 jobsPetersburg city: 12,907 jobsPoquoson city: 1,613 jobsPortsmouth city: 44,093 jobsRadford city: 5,784 jobsRichmond city: 148,477 jobsRoanoke city: 66,992 jobsSalem city: 21,900 jobsStaunton city: 10,980 jobsSuffolk city: 27,125 jobsVirginia Beach city: 171,026 jobsWaynesboro city: 9,688 jobsWilliamsburg city: 12,880 jobsWinchester city: 24,603 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 15K
  • 15K to 33K
  • 33K and over
jobs, 2014. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2014

Fairfax County: 579,539 jobsFairfax County579,539Henrico County: 179,377 jobsHenrico County179,377Virginia Beach city: 171,026 jobsVirginia Beach city171,026Arlington County: 164,576 jobsArlington County164,576Loudoun County: 148,593 jobsLoudoun County148,593Richmond city: 148,477 jobsRichmond city148,477Norfolk city: 134,423 jobsNorfolk city134,423Chesterfield County: 124,399 jobsChesterfield County124,399Prince William County: 119,463 jobsPrince William County119,463Newport News city: 98,179 jobsNewport News city98,179Chesapeake city: 95,718 jobsChesapeake city95,718Alexandria city: 94,946 jobsAlexandria city94,946Roanoke city: 66,992 jobsRoanoke city66,992Hampton city: 53,954 jobsHampton city53,954Lynchburg city: 51,172 jobsLynchburg city51,172Albemarle County: 50,562 jobsAlbemarle County50,562Hanover County: 48,167 jobsHanover County48,167Portsmouth city: 44,093 jobsPortsmouth city44,093Montgomery County: 40,626 jobsMontgomery County40,626Stafford County: 40,375 jobsStafford County40,375Charlottesville city: 37,352 jobsCharlottesville city37,352Roanoke County: 35,269 jobsRoanoke County35,269Spotsylvania County: 32,965 jobsSpotsylvania County32,965Harrisonburg city: 30,204 jobsHarrisonburg city30,204Rockingham County: 30,100 jobsRockingham County30,100Frederick County: 28,096 jobsFrederick County28,096James City County: 27,639 jobsJames City County27,639Suffolk city: 27,125 jobsSuffolk city27,125Danville city: 26,324 jobsDanville city26,324Augusta County: 25,753 jobsAugusta County25,753Winchester city: 24,603 jobsWinchester city24,603Fredericksburg city: 23,701 jobsFredericksburg city23,701Manassas city: 22,992 jobsManassas city22,992Salem city: 21,900 jobsSalem city21,900Fauquier County: 21,076 jobsFauquier County21,076York County: 20,874 jobsYork County20,874Washington County: 20,390 jobsWashington County20,390Fairfax city: 19,664 jobsFairfax city19,664Bedford County: 18,645 jobsBedford County18,645Campbell County: 16,351 jobsCampbell County16,351Fairfax County: 579,539 jobsFairfax County579,539Henrico County: 179,377 jobsHenrico County179,377Virginia Beach city: 171,026 jobsVirginia Beach city171,026Arlington County: 164,576 jobsArlington County164,576Loudoun County: 148,593 jobsLoudoun County148,593Richmond city: 148,477 jobsRichmond city148,477Norfolk city: 134,423 jobsNorfolk city134,423Chesterfield County: 124,399 jobsChesterfield County124,399Prince William County: 119,463 jobsPrince William County119,463Newport News city: 98,179 jobsNewport News city98,179Chesapeake city: 95,718 jobsChesapeake city95,718Alexandria city: 94,946 jobsAlexandria city94,946Roanoke city: 66,992 jobsRoanoke city66,992Hampton city: 53,954 jobsHampton city53,954Lynchburg city: 51,172 jobsLynchburg city51,172Albemarle County: 50,562 jobsAlbemarle County50,562Hanover County: 48,167 jobsHanover County48,167Portsmouth city: 44,093 jobsPortsmouth city44,093Montgomery County: 40,626 jobsMontgomery County40,626Stafford County: 40,375 jobsStafford County40,375Charlottesville city: 37,352 jobsCharlottesville city37,352Roanoke County: 35,269 jobsRoanoke County35,269Spotsylvania County: 32,965 jobsSpotsylvania County32,965Harrisonburg city: 30,204 jobsHarrisonburg city30,204Rockingham County: 30,100 jobsRockingham County30,100Frederick County: 28,096 jobsFrederick County28,096James City County: 27,639 jobsJames City County27,639Suffolk city: 27,125 jobsSuffolk city27,125Danville city: 26,324 jobsDanville city26,324Augusta County: 25,753 jobsAugusta County25,753Winchester city: 24,603 jobsWinchester city24,603Fredericksburg city: 23,701 jobsFredericksburg city23,701Manassas city: 22,992 jobsManassas city22,992Salem city: 21,900 jobsSalem city21,900Fauquier County: 21,076 jobsFauquier County21,076York County: 20,874 jobsYork County20,874Washington County: 20,390 jobsWashington County20,390Fairfax city: 19,664 jobsFairfax city19,664Bedford County: 18,645 jobsBedford County18,645Campbell County: 16,351 jobsCampbell County16,351
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
jobs
Change on 2013
1Fairfax County579,539-1.2%
2Henrico County179,377-0%
3Virginia Beach city171,026+0.9%
4Arlington County164,576-0.3%
5Loudoun County148,593+1.5%
6Richmond city148,477+0.6%
7Norfolk city134,423-1.5%
8Chesterfield County124,399+1.6%
9Prince William County119,463+2.4%
10Newport News city98,179+0.9%
11Chesapeake city95,718+0.1%
12Alexandria city94,946-0.3%
13Roanoke city66,9920%
14Hampton city53,954-1.8%
15Lynchburg city51,172+0.8%
16Albemarle County50,562+0.7%
17Hanover County48,167+2.8%
18Portsmouth city44,093-1.2%
19Montgomery County40,626+0.6%
20Stafford County40,375+2.3%
21Charlottesville city37,352+3.9%
22Roanoke County35,269+2.2%
23Spotsylvania County32,965+3.2%
24Harrisonburg city30,204+0.9%
25Rockingham County30,100+0.2%
26Frederick County28,096+3.4%
27James City County27,639+3.2%
28Suffolk city27,125+0.9%
29Danville city26,324+0.1%
30Augusta County25,753+1.6%
31Winchester city24,603-0.6%
32Fredericksburg city23,701-2.9%
33Manassas city22,992+0.1%
34Salem city21,900-1%
35Fauquier County21,076-0.6%
36York County20,874-1.1%
37Washington County20,390-0.8%
38Fairfax city19,664+0.9%
39Bedford County18,645+21.2%
40Campbell County16,351+1.4%
41Tazewell County15,565-2%
42Culpeper County15,337-0.7%
43Henry County14,920+0.2%
44Prince George County14,839+5.3%
45Franklin County14,567+3.4%
46Goochland County13,943+11.7%
47Shenandoah County13,720+3.9%
48Pulaski County13,642+4%
49Petersburg city12,907-3.2%
50Williamsburg city12,880-5.3%
51Accomack County12,660-0.4%
52Wise County12,449-5.1%
53Warren County12,362+2.5%
54Halifax County11,962-0.7%
55Pittsylvania County11,908+0.3%
56Smyth County11,849+1.9%
57Wythe County11,419+0.1%
58Mecklenburg County11,354+0.8%
59Falls Church city11,032+9%
60Staunton city10,980-1.8%
61King George County10,774+2.2%
62Colonial Heights city10,673+2.6%
63Isle of Wight County10,530+0.8%
64Botetourt County10,124+0.7%
65Bristol city10,032-3%
66Martinsville city9,825-3.1%
67Waynesboro city9,688+0.2%
68Gloucester County9,278-2.3%
69Orange County9,065+0.4%
70Amherst County8,834-1%
71Louisa County8,753+4.3%
72Prince Edward County8,426-1.3%
73Hopewell city8,025+0.7%
74Dinwiddie County8,009+0.2%
75Powhatan County7,954+5.5%
76Buchanan County7,344-4.5%
77Russell County6,494-3.1%
78Carroll County6,069+1.3%
79Galax city6,029-0.7%
80Radford city5,784-3.5%
81Nottoway County5,632+0.3%
82Caroline County5,512-1.4%
83Rockbridge County5,387-3.1%
84Page County5,328+1.1%
85Northampton County5,065+3.1%
86Patrick County4,896+1%
87Lexington city4,775-0.8%
88Scott County4,655+1.3%
89Giles County4,571-2.1%
90Lancaster County4,499-1.2%
91Lee County4,445-6%
92Fluvanna County4,321+4%
93Franklin city4,291-2.1%
94Greensville County4,279-4.4%
95Essex County4,040+0.9%
96Brunswick County3,980-3.9%
97Nelson County3,951+3.7%
98New Kent County3,933+1.2%
99Covington city3,908+1.9%
100Alleghany County3,849-4.7%
101Clarke County3,797+1.4%
102Dickenson County3,791-0.8%
103Norton city3,749-1.5%
104Sussex County3,692+2.3%
105Southampton County3,566-0.1%
106King William County3,479+1.9%
107Emporia city3,432+0.2%
108Greene County3,347-0.7%
109Westmoreland County3,277-1.9%
110Buckingham County3,168-0.1%
111Middlesex County3,142-2.5%
112Madison County3,051+0.7%
113Appomattox County3,023-0.4%
114Floyd County2,933+1.3%
115Manassas Park city2,848+3.8%
116Charlotte County2,758+1.7%
117Richmond County2,751+5.8%
118Buena Vista city2,582+1.8%
119Lunenburg County2,508+3%
120Grayson County2,490+6.6%
121Northumberland County2,411-0.9%
122Bath County2,334+3.3%
123Amelia County2,314+0.2%
124Surry County2,227+5.2%
125Bland County1,980+2%
126Poquoson city1,613-2.4%
127Charles City County1,566+3.5%
128Mathews County1,437+1.1%
129Rappahannock County1,397+0.1%
130Cumberland County1,287+0.6%
131King and Queen County885-1.6%
132Craig County666+1.2%
133Highland County534+0.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Fairfax County, with 579,539 jobs in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Highland County, with 534 jobs in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings