Counties in Virginia by covered employment (QCEW)

Fairfax County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 133 counties in 2015, at 586,870 jobs. Highland County had the lowest, at 498 jobs. The median was 9,626 jobs and the figure for Virginia was 3,735,713 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest586,870Fairfax County
Median9,626133 counties
Virginia3,735,713History

Map of counties, 2015

Accomack County: 12,894 jobsAlbemarle County: 52,026 jobsAlleghany County: 3,844 jobsAmelia County: 2,385 jobsAmherst County: 8,459 jobsAppomattox County: 3,068 jobsArlington County: 170,256 jobsAugusta County: 26,267 jobsBath County: 2,327 jobsBedford County: 18,896 jobsBland County: 1,924 jobsBotetourt County: 10,465 jobsBrunswick County: 3,960 jobsBuchanan County: 6,872 jobsBuckingham County: 3,228 jobsCampbell County: 16,661 jobsCaroline County: 5,614 jobsCarroll County: 6,256 jobsCharles City County: 1,557 jobsCharlotte County: 2,817 jobsChesterfield County: 131,126 jobsClarke County: 3,752 jobsCraig County: 667 jobsCulpeper County: 15,575 jobsCumberland County: 1,330 jobsDickenson County: 3,610 jobsDinwiddie County: 8,351 jobsEssex County: 3,908 jobsFairfax County: 586,870 jobsFauquier County: 21,549 jobsFloyd County: 3,011 jobsFluvanna County: 4,436 jobsFranklin County: 14,572 jobsFrederick County: 29,128 jobsGiles County: 4,590 jobsGloucester County: 9,303 jobsGoochland County: 15,040 jobsGrayson County: 2,554 jobsGreene County: 3,566 jobsGreensville County: 4,502 jobsHalifax County: 12,180 jobsHanover County: 49,596 jobsHenrico County: 187,015 jobsHenry County: 15,142 jobsHighland County: 498 jobsIsle of Wight County: 10,703 jobsJames City County: 27,822 jobsKing and Queen County: 919 jobsKing George County: 10,914 jobsKing William County: 3,677 jobsLancaster County: 4,443 jobsLee County: 4,467 jobsLoudoun County: 154,560 jobsLouisa County: 9,477 jobsLunenburg County: 2,512 jobsMadison County: 3,127 jobsMathews County: 1,458 jobsMecklenburg County: 11,706 jobsMiddlesex County: 3,210 jobsMontgomery County: 41,394 jobsNelson County: 4,279 jobsNew Kent County: 4,135 jobsNorthampton County: 5,301 jobsNorthumberland County: 2,424 jobsNottoway County: 5,838 jobsOrange County: 9,179 jobsPage County: 5,412 jobsPatrick County: 4,991 jobsPittsylvania County: 12,422 jobsPowhatan County: 6,805 jobsPrince Edward County: 8,744 jobsPrince George County: 15,005 jobsPrince William County: 122,607 jobsPulaski County: 14,342 jobsRappahannock County: 1,440 jobsRichmond County: 2,795 jobsRoanoke County: 37,406 jobsRockbridge County: 5,613 jobsRockingham County: 30,502 jobsRussell County: 7,023 jobsScott County: 4,785 jobsShenandoah County: 13,861 jobsSmyth County: 12,351 jobsSouthampton County: 3,752 jobsSpotsylvania County: 34,341 jobsStafford County: 41,423 jobsSurry County: 2,498 jobsSussex County: 3,814 jobsTazewell County: 15,355 jobsWarren County: 12,027 jobsWashington County: 20,431 jobsWestmoreland County: 3,377 jobsWise County: 12,246 jobsWythe County: 11,588 jobsYork County: 21,759 jobsAlexandria city: 96,328 jobsBristol city: 9,776 jobsBuena Vista city: 2,598 jobsCharlottesville city: 39,237 jobsChesapeake city: 97,422 jobsColonial Heights city: 10,998 jobsCovington city: 4,056 jobsDanville city: 26,268 jobsEmporia city: 3,282 jobsFairfax city: 19,567 jobsFalls Church city: 11,545 jobsFranklin city: 4,519 jobsFredericksburg city: 23,520 jobsGalax city: 6,292 jobsHampton city: 53,838 jobsHarrisonburg city: 30,608 jobsHopewell city: 7,870 jobsLexington city: 4,791 jobsLynchburg city: 51,380 jobsManassas city: 22,771 jobsManassas Park city: 2,984 jobsMartinsville city: 9,626 jobsNewport News city: 97,536 jobsNorfolk city: 139,830 jobsNorton city: 3,714 jobsPetersburg city: 13,009 jobsPoquoson city: 1,659 jobsPortsmouth city: 44,750 jobsRadford city: 5,816 jobsRichmond city: 149,651 jobsRoanoke city: 66,795 jobsSalem city: 20,525 jobsStaunton city: 11,180 jobsSuffolk city: 28,482 jobsVirginia Beach city: 173,655 jobsWaynesboro city: 9,769 jobsWilliamsburg city: 13,110 jobsWinchester city: 24,682 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 15K
  • 15K to 34K
  • 34K and over
jobs, 2015. 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, 2015

Fairfax County: 586,870 jobsFairfax County586,870Henrico County: 187,015 jobsHenrico County187,015Virginia Beach city: 173,655 jobsVirginia Beach city173,655Arlington County: 170,256 jobsArlington County170,256Loudoun County: 154,560 jobsLoudoun County154,560Richmond city: 149,651 jobsRichmond city149,651Norfolk city: 139,830 jobsNorfolk city139,830Chesterfield County: 131,126 jobsChesterfield County131,126Prince William County: 122,607 jobsPrince William County122,607Newport News city: 97,536 jobsNewport News city97,536Chesapeake city: 97,422 jobsChesapeake city97,422Alexandria city: 96,328 jobsAlexandria city96,328Roanoke city: 66,795 jobsRoanoke city66,795Hampton city: 53,838 jobsHampton city53,838Albemarle County: 52,026 jobsAlbemarle County52,026Lynchburg city: 51,380 jobsLynchburg city51,380Hanover County: 49,596 jobsHanover County49,596Portsmouth city: 44,750 jobsPortsmouth city44,750Stafford County: 41,423 jobsStafford County41,423Montgomery County: 41,394 jobsMontgomery County41,394Charlottesville city: 39,237 jobsCharlottesville city39,237Roanoke County: 37,406 jobsRoanoke County37,406Spotsylvania County: 34,341 jobsSpotsylvania County34,341Harrisonburg city: 30,608 jobsHarrisonburg city30,608Rockingham County: 30,502 jobsRockingham County30,502Frederick County: 29,128 jobsFrederick County29,128Suffolk city: 28,482 jobsSuffolk city28,482James City County: 27,822 jobsJames City County27,822Danville city: 26,268 jobsDanville city26,268Augusta County: 26,267 jobsAugusta County26,267Winchester city: 24,682 jobsWinchester city24,682Fredericksburg city: 23,520 jobsFredericksburg city23,520Manassas city: 22,771 jobsManassas city22,771York County: 21,759 jobsYork County21,759Fauquier County: 21,549 jobsFauquier County21,549Salem city: 20,525 jobsSalem city20,525Washington County: 20,431 jobsWashington County20,431Fairfax city: 19,567 jobsFairfax city19,567Bedford County: 18,896 jobsBedford County18,896Campbell County: 16,661 jobsCampbell County16,661Fairfax County: 586,870 jobsFairfax County586,870Henrico County: 187,015 jobsHenrico County187,015Virginia Beach city: 173,655 jobsVirginia Beach city173,655Arlington County: 170,256 jobsArlington County170,256Loudoun County: 154,560 jobsLoudoun County154,560Richmond city: 149,651 jobsRichmond city149,651Norfolk city: 139,830 jobsNorfolk city139,830Chesterfield County: 131,126 jobsChesterfield County131,126Prince William County: 122,607 jobsPrince William County122,607Newport News city: 97,536 jobsNewport News city97,536Chesapeake city: 97,422 jobsChesapeake city97,422Alexandria city: 96,328 jobsAlexandria city96,328Roanoke city: 66,795 jobsRoanoke city66,795Hampton city: 53,838 jobsHampton city53,838Albemarle County: 52,026 jobsAlbemarle County52,026Lynchburg city: 51,380 jobsLynchburg city51,380Hanover County: 49,596 jobsHanover County49,596Portsmouth city: 44,750 jobsPortsmouth city44,750Stafford County: 41,423 jobsStafford County41,423Montgomery County: 41,394 jobsMontgomery County41,394Charlottesville city: 39,237 jobsCharlottesville city39,237Roanoke County: 37,406 jobsRoanoke County37,406Spotsylvania County: 34,341 jobsSpotsylvania County34,341Harrisonburg city: 30,608 jobsHarrisonburg city30,608Rockingham County: 30,502 jobsRockingham County30,502Frederick County: 29,128 jobsFrederick County29,128Suffolk city: 28,482 jobsSuffolk city28,482James City County: 27,822 jobsJames City County27,822Danville city: 26,268 jobsDanville city26,268Augusta County: 26,267 jobsAugusta County26,267Winchester city: 24,682 jobsWinchester city24,682Fredericksburg city: 23,520 jobsFredericksburg city23,520Manassas city: 22,771 jobsManassas city22,771York County: 21,759 jobsYork County21,759Fauquier County: 21,549 jobsFauquier County21,549Salem city: 20,525 jobsSalem city20,525Washington County: 20,431 jobsWashington County20,431Fairfax city: 19,567 jobsFairfax city19,567Bedford County: 18,896 jobsBedford County18,896Campbell County: 16,661 jobsCampbell County16,661
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

RankCounties2015
jobs
Change on 2014
1Fairfax County586,870+1.3%
2Henrico County187,015+4.3%
3Virginia Beach city173,655+1.5%
4Arlington County170,256+3.5%
5Loudoun County154,560+4%
6Richmond city149,651+0.8%
7Norfolk city139,830+4%
8Chesterfield County131,126+5.4%
9Prince William County122,607+2.6%
10Newport News city97,536-0.7%
11Chesapeake city97,422+1.8%
12Alexandria city96,328+1.5%
13Roanoke city66,795-0.3%
14Hampton city53,838-0.2%
15Albemarle County52,026+2.9%
16Lynchburg city51,380+0.4%
17Hanover County49,596+3%
18Portsmouth city44,750+1.5%
19Stafford County41,423+2.6%
20Montgomery County41,394+1.9%
21Charlottesville city39,237+5%
22Roanoke County37,406+6.1%
23Spotsylvania County34,341+4.2%
24Harrisonburg city30,608+1.3%
25Rockingham County30,502+1.3%
26Frederick County29,128+3.7%
27Suffolk city28,482+5%
28James City County27,822+0.7%
29Danville city26,268-0.2%
30Augusta County26,267+2%
31Winchester city24,682+0.3%
32Fredericksburg city23,520-0.8%
33Manassas city22,771-1%
34York County21,759+4.2%
35Fauquier County21,549+2.2%
36Salem city20,525-6.3%
37Washington County20,431+0.2%
38Fairfax city19,567-0.5%
39Bedford County18,896+1.3%
40Campbell County16,661+1.9%
41Culpeper County15,575+1.6%
42Tazewell County15,355-1.3%
43Henry County15,142+1.5%
44Goochland County15,040+7.9%
45Prince George County15,005+1.1%
46Franklin County14,5720%
47Pulaski County14,342+5.1%
48Shenandoah County13,861+1%
49Williamsburg city13,110+1.8%
50Petersburg city13,009+0.8%
51Accomack County12,894+1.8%
52Pittsylvania County12,422+4.3%
53Smyth County12,351+4.2%
54Wise County12,246-1.6%
55Halifax County12,180+1.8%
56Warren County12,027-2.7%
57Mecklenburg County11,706+3.1%
58Wythe County11,588+1.5%
59Falls Church city11,545+4.7%
60Staunton city11,180+1.8%
61Colonial Heights city10,998+3%
62King George County10,914+1.3%
63Isle of Wight County10,703+1.6%
64Botetourt County10,465+3.4%
65Bristol city9,776-2.6%
66Waynesboro city9,769+0.8%
67Martinsville city9,626-2%
68Louisa County9,477+8.3%
69Gloucester County9,303+0.3%
70Orange County9,179+1.3%
71Prince Edward County8,744+3.8%
72Amherst County8,459-4.2%
73Dinwiddie County8,351+4.3%
74Hopewell city7,870-1.9%
75Russell County7,023+8.1%
76Buchanan County6,872-6.4%
77Powhatan County6,805-14.4%
78Galax city6,292+4.4%
79Carroll County6,256+3.1%
80Nottoway County5,838+3.7%
81Radford city5,816+0.6%
82Caroline County5,614+1.9%
83Rockbridge County5,613+4.2%
84Page County5,412+1.6%
85Northampton County5,301+4.7%
86Patrick County4,991+1.9%
87Lexington city4,791+0.3%
88Scott County4,785+2.8%
89Giles County4,590+0.4%
90Franklin city4,519+5.3%
91Greensville County4,502+5.2%
92Lee County4,467+0.5%
93Lancaster County4,443-1.2%
94Fluvanna County4,436+2.7%
95Nelson County4,279+8.3%
96New Kent County4,135+5.1%
97Covington city4,056+3.8%
98Brunswick County3,960-0.5%
99Essex County3,908-3.3%
100Alleghany County3,844-0.1%
101Sussex County3,814+3.3%
102Clarke County3,752-1.2%
102Southampton County3,752+5.2%
104Norton city3,714-0.9%
105King William County3,677+5.7%
106Dickenson County3,610-4.8%
107Greene County3,566+6.5%
108Westmoreland County3,377+3.1%
109Emporia city3,282-4.4%
110Buckingham County3,228+1.9%
111Middlesex County3,210+2.2%
112Madison County3,127+2.5%
113Appomattox County3,068+1.5%
114Floyd County3,011+2.7%
115Manassas Park city2,984+4.8%
116Charlotte County2,817+2.1%
117Richmond County2,795+1.6%
118Buena Vista city2,598+0.6%
119Grayson County2,554+2.6%
120Lunenburg County2,512+0.2%
121Surry County2,498+12.2%
122Northumberland County2,424+0.5%
123Amelia County2,385+3.1%
124Bath County2,327-0.3%
125Bland County1,924-2.8%
126Poquoson city1,659+2.9%
127Charles City County1,557-0.6%
128Mathews County1,458+1.5%
129Rappahannock County1,440+3.1%
130Cumberland County1,330+3.3%
131King and Queen County919+3.8%
132Craig County667+0.2%
133Highland County498-6.7%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/virginia-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/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 586,870 jobs in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Highland County, with 498 jobs in 2015.

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