Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by job creation rate

Goochland County had the highest job creation rate of 133 counties in 2012, at 53.583%. Surry County had the lowest, at 3.825%. The median was 12.757% and the figure for Virginia was 14.279%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest53.583Goochland County
Lowest3.825Surry County
Median12.757133 counties
Virginia14.279History

Map of counties, 2012

Accomack County: 8.11 %Albemarle County: 10.294 %Alleghany County: 11.731 %Amelia County: 14.61 %Amherst County: 9.628 %Appomattox County: 10.067 %Arlington County: 15.35 %Augusta County: 11.858 %Bath County: 6.501 %Bedford County: 13.313 %Bland County: 9.961 %Botetourt County: 13.083 %Brunswick County: 10.494 %Buchanan County: 15.291 %Buckingham County: 18.545 %Campbell County: 10.686 %Caroline County: 29.167 %Carroll County: 12.959 %Charles City County: 8.407 %Charlotte County: 18.511 %Chesterfield County: 13.638 %Clarke County: 10.756 %Craig County: 8.406 %Culpeper County: 10.891 %Cumberland County: 12.821 %Dickenson County: 16.897 %Dinwiddie County: 13.488 %Essex County: 9.563 %Fairfax County: 15.707 %Fauquier County: 16.701 %Floyd County: 18.065 %Fluvanna County: 17.003 %Franklin County: 16.152 %Frederick County: 12.687 %Giles County: 12.839 %Gloucester County: 12.647 %Goochland County: 53.583 %Grayson County: 23.717 %Greene County: 13.039 %Greensville County: 11.489 %Halifax County: 13.157 %Hanover County: 12.316 %Henrico County: 14.312 %Henry County: 11.866 %Highland County: 11.251 %Isle of Wight County: 11.712 %James City County: 16.176 %King and Queen County: 9.945 %King George County: 17.578 %King William County: 8.415 %Lancaster County: 11.122 %Lee County: 9.383 %Loudoun County: 16.329 %Louisa County: 10.301 %Lunenburg County: 17.692 %Madison County: 11.005 %Mathews County: 18.619 %Mecklenburg County: 10.982 %Middlesex County: 12.232 %Montgomery County: 12.732 %Nelson County: 12.453 %New Kent County: 22.107 %Northampton County: 10.914 %Northumberland County: 13.109 %Nottoway County: 19.835 %Orange County: 15.782 %Page County: 11.18 %Patrick County: 16.973 %Pittsylvania County: 12.798 %Powhatan County: 15.9 %Prince Edward County: 10.914 %Prince George County: 16.474 %Prince William County: 16.646 %Pulaski County: 18.267 %Rappahannock County: 24.659 %Richmond County: 7.97 %Roanoke County: 10.969 %Rockbridge County: 13.111 %Rockingham County: 11.589 %Russell County: 27.631 %Scott County: 17.013 %Shenandoah County: 11.055 %Smyth County: 14.419 %Southampton County: 7.306 %Spotsylvania County: 14.416 %Stafford County: 16.44 %Surry County: 3.825 %Sussex County: 10.225 %Tazewell County: 11.666 %Warren County: 10.691 %Washington County: 10.152 %Westmoreland County: 12.873 %Wise County: 15.042 %Wythe County: 12.32 %York County: 11.614 %Alexandria city: 15.248 %Bristol city: 11.639 %Buena Vista city: 13.47 %Charlottesville city: 12.379 %Chesapeake city: 13.625 %Colonial Heights city: 12.444 %Covington city: 20.656 %Danville city: 10.768 %Emporia city: 13.5 %Fairfax city: 14.986 %Falls Church city: 12.757 %Franklin city: 10.01 %Fredericksburg city: 8.853 %Galax city: 16.865 %Hampton city: 11.137 %Harrisonburg city: 10.533 %Hopewell city: 13.354 %Lexington city: 8.554 %Lynchburg city: 9.271 %Manassas city: 11.746 %Manassas Park city: 12.325 %Martinsville city: 15.515 %Newport News city: 11.453 %Norfolk city: 13.914 %Norton city: 10.464 %Petersburg city: 17.402 %Poquoson city: 17.768 %Portsmouth city: 14.423 %Radford city: 9.068 %Richmond city: 14.57 %Roanoke city: 10.894 %Salem city: 8.469 %Staunton city: 23.939 %Suffolk city: 14.483 %Virginia Beach city: 14.224 %Waynesboro city: 9.697 %Williamsburg city: 23.687 %Winchester city: 11.287 %
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%, 2012. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Goochland County: 53.583 %Goochland County53.583Caroline County: 29.167 %Caroline County29.167Russell County: 27.631 %Russell County27.631Rappahannock County: 24.659 %Rappahannock County24.659Staunton city: 23.939 %Staunton city23.939Grayson County: 23.717 %Grayson County23.717Williamsburg city: 23.687 %Williamsburg city23.687New Kent County: 22.107 %New Kent County22.107Covington city: 20.656 %Covington city20.656Nottoway County: 19.835 %Nottoway County19.835Mathews County: 18.619 %Mathews County18.619Buckingham County: 18.545 %Buckingham County18.545Charlotte County: 18.511 %Charlotte County18.511Pulaski County: 18.267 %Pulaski County18.267Floyd County: 18.065 %Floyd County18.065Poquoson city: 17.768 %Poquoson city17.768Lunenburg County: 17.692 %Lunenburg County17.692King George County: 17.578 %King George County17.578Petersburg city: 17.402 %Petersburg city17.402Scott County: 17.013 %Scott County17.013Fluvanna County: 17.003 %Fluvanna County17.003Patrick County: 16.973 %Patrick County16.973Dickenson County: 16.897 %Dickenson County16.897Galax city: 16.865 %Galax city16.865Fauquier County: 16.701 %Fauquier County16.701Prince William County: 16.646 %Prince William County16.646Prince George County: 16.474 %Prince George County16.474Stafford County: 16.44 %Stafford County16.44Loudoun County: 16.329 %Loudoun County16.329James City County: 16.176 %James City County16.176Franklin County: 16.152 %Franklin County16.152Powhatan County: 15.9 %Powhatan County15.9Orange County: 15.782 %Orange County15.782Fairfax County: 15.707 %Fairfax County15.707Martinsville city: 15.515 %Martinsville city15.515Arlington County: 15.35 %Arlington County15.35Buchanan County: 15.291 %Buchanan County15.291Alexandria city: 15.248 %Alexandria city15.248Wise County: 15.042 %Wise County15.042Fairfax city: 14.986 %Fairfax city14.986Goochland County: 53.583 %Goochland County53.583Caroline County: 29.167 %Caroline County29.167Russell County: 27.631 %Russell County27.631Rappahannock County: 24.659 %Rappahannock County24.659Staunton city: 23.939 %Staunton city23.939Grayson County: 23.717 %Grayson County23.717Williamsburg city: 23.687 %Williamsburg city23.687New Kent County: 22.107 %New Kent County22.107Covington city: 20.656 %Covington city20.656Nottoway County: 19.835 %Nottoway County19.835Mathews County: 18.619 %Mathews County18.619Buckingham County: 18.545 %Buckingham County18.545Charlotte County: 18.511 %Charlotte County18.511Pulaski County: 18.267 %Pulaski County18.267Floyd County: 18.065 %Floyd County18.065Poquoson city: 17.768 %Poquoson city17.768Lunenburg County: 17.692 %Lunenburg County17.692King George County: 17.578 %King George County17.578Petersburg city: 17.402 %Petersburg city17.402Scott County: 17.013 %Scott County17.013Fluvanna County: 17.003 %Fluvanna County17.003Patrick County: 16.973 %Patrick County16.973Dickenson County: 16.897 %Dickenson County16.897Galax city: 16.865 %Galax city16.865Fauquier County: 16.701 %Fauquier County16.701Prince William County: 16.646 %Prince William County16.646Prince George County: 16.474 %Prince George County16.474Stafford County: 16.44 %Stafford County16.44Loudoun County: 16.329 %Loudoun County16.329James City County: 16.176 %James City County16.176Franklin County: 16.152 %Franklin County16.152Powhatan County: 15.9 %Powhatan County15.9Orange County: 15.782 %Orange County15.782Fairfax County: 15.707 %Fairfax County15.707Martinsville city: 15.515 %Martinsville city15.515Arlington County: 15.35 %Arlington County15.35Buchanan County: 15.291 %Buchanan County15.291Alexandria city: 15.248 %Alexandria city15.248Wise County: 15.042 %Wise County15.042Fairfax city: 14.986 %Fairfax city14.986
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2012 (%)Change on 2011
1Goochland County53.583+46.25 pts
2Caroline County29.167+19 pts
3Russell County27.631+16.62 pts
4Rappahannock County24.659+10.52 pts
5Staunton city23.939+16.05 pts
6Grayson County23.717+15.15 pts
7Williamsburg city23.687+15.97 pts
8New Kent County22.107+9.11 pts
9Covington city20.656+11.76 pts
10Nottoway County19.835+9.9 pts
11Mathews County18.619+8.77 pts
12Buckingham County18.545+10.03 pts
13Charlotte County18.511+4.76 pts
14Pulaski County18.267+7.6 pts
15Floyd County18.065+5.63 pts
16Poquoson city17.768+4.74 pts
17Lunenburg County17.692+9.17 pts
18King George County17.578+1.71 pts
19Petersburg city17.402+7.4 pts
20Scott County17.013+6.54 pts
21Fluvanna County17.003+0.11 pts
22Patrick County16.973+4.94 pts
23Dickenson County16.897+8.64 pts
24Galax city16.865+9.69 pts
25Fauquier County16.701+3.85 pts
26Prince William County16.646+0.12 pts
27Prince George County16.474+2.58 pts
28Stafford County16.44-0.32 pts
29Loudoun County16.329-1.95 pts
30James City County16.176-0.59 pts
31Franklin County16.152+3.4 pts
32Powhatan County15.9+1.04 pts
33Orange County15.782+5.88 pts
34Fairfax County15.707+1.21 pts
35Martinsville city15.515+4.68 pts
36Arlington County15.35-1.04 pts
37Buchanan County15.291+4.93 pts
38Alexandria city15.248+1.09 pts
39Wise County15.042-3.7 pts
40Fairfax city14.986+3.69 pts
41Amelia County14.61+3.14 pts
42Richmond city14.57+2.05 pts
43Suffolk city14.483+2.1 pts
44Portsmouth city14.423+1.48 pts
45Smyth County14.419+5.1 pts
46Spotsylvania County14.416-2.39 pts
47Henrico County14.312+0.75 pts
48Virginia Beach city14.224+1.75 pts
49Norfolk city13.914+0.79 pts
50Chesterfield County13.638+1.81 pts
51Chesapeake city13.625+0.5 pts
52Emporia city13.5+4.03 pts
53Dinwiddie County13.488+1.67 pts
54Buena Vista city13.47-2.01 pts
55Hopewell city13.354-2.75 pts
56Bedford County13.313+1.22 pts
57Halifax County13.157+1.16 pts
58Rockbridge County13.111+1.52 pts
59Northumberland County13.109+1.39 pts
60Botetourt County13.083-1.02 pts
61Greene County13.039-11.28 pts
62Carroll County12.959-2.5 pts
63Westmoreland County12.873-2.03 pts
64Giles County12.839+3.41 pts
65Cumberland County12.821+0.31 pts
66Pittsylvania County12.798+0.07 pts
67Falls Church city12.757-8.15 pts
68Montgomery County12.732+1.1 pts
69Frederick County12.687-1.77 pts
70Gloucester County12.647+1.96 pts
71Nelson County12.453+1.48 pts
72Colonial Heights city12.444+3.47 pts
73Charlottesville city12.379+1.64 pts
74Manassas Park city12.325-5.01 pts
75Wythe County12.32-2.39 pts
76Hanover County12.316+1.63 pts
77Middlesex County12.232+0.42 pts
78Henry County11.866-0.36 pts
79Augusta County11.858-0.42 pts
80Manassas city11.746-0.86 pts
81Alleghany County11.731+1.99 pts
82Isle of Wight County11.712+4.08 pts
83Tazewell County11.666+1.41 pts
84Bristol city11.639-0.67 pts
85York County11.614+1.35 pts
86Rockingham County11.589+5.27 pts
87Greensville County11.489+6.72 pts
88Newport News city11.453+0.86 pts
89Winchester city11.287-1.87 pts
90Highland County11.251-7.03 pts
91Page County11.18+1.14 pts
92Hampton city11.137+0.92 pts
93Lancaster County11.122-0.83 pts
94Shenandoah County11.055+0.82 pts
95Madison County11.005+5.36 pts
96Mecklenburg County10.982-3.85 pts
97Roanoke County10.969+0.99 pts
98Northampton County10.914+0.95 pts
98Prince Edward County10.914-0.2 pts
100Roanoke city10.894+1.75 pts
101Culpeper County10.891+0.27 pts
102Danville city10.768-2.04 pts
103Clarke County10.756-0.68 pts
104Warren County10.691-3.05 pts
105Campbell County10.686-0.37 pts
106Harrisonburg city10.533+0.84 pts
107Brunswick County10.494-4.29 pts
108Norton city10.464+0.22 pts
109Louisa County10.301-5.53 pts
110Albemarle County10.294-0.97 pts
111Sussex County10.225+0.3 pts
112Washington County10.152-0.58 pts
113Appomattox County10.067-5.51 pts
114Franklin city10.01+1.75 pts
115Bland County9.961-0.3 pts
116King and Queen County9.945-9.16 pts
117Waynesboro city9.697-3.24 pts
118Amherst County9.628-0.12 pts
119Essex County9.563+1.9 pts
120Lee County9.383-0.99 pts
121Lynchburg city9.271-1.67 pts
122Radford city9.068-7.12 pts
123Fredericksburg city8.853+0.14 pts
124Lexington city8.554+3.01 pts
125Salem city8.469-0.87 pts
126King William County8.415+1.33 pts
127Charles City County8.407-7.27 pts
128Craig County8.406-1.32 pts
129Accomack County8.11-2.36 pts
130Richmond County7.97-2.38 pts
131Southampton County7.306-0.49 pts
132Bath County6.501-9.11 pts
133Surry County3.825-1.41 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2012,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Virginia by job creation rate, 2012
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2012.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job creation rate?

Goochland County, with 53.583% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Surry County, with 3.825% in 2012.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings