Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by job creation rate

Mathews County had the highest job creation rate of 133 counties in 2022, at 29.879%. Covington city had the lowest, at 4.569%. The median was 13.372% and the figure for Virginia was 15.158%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest29.879Mathews County
Lowest4.569Covington city
Median13.372133 counties
Virginia15.158History

Map of counties, 2022

Accomack County: 8.205 %Albemarle County: 13.184 %Alleghany County: 9.827 %Amelia County: 16.649 %Amherst County: 11.86 %Appomattox County: 12.843 %Arlington County: 15.726 %Augusta County: 11.339 %Bath County: 9.039 %Bedford County: 13.396 %Bland County: 11.765 %Botetourt County: 9.498 %Brunswick County: 20.96 %Buchanan County: 19.169 %Buckingham County: 11.949 %Campbell County: 10.249 %Caroline County: 20.748 %Carroll County: 12.676 %Charles City County: 10.987 %Charlotte County: 13.973 %Chesterfield County: 15.693 %Clarke County: 14.026 %Craig County: 11.886 %Culpeper County: 10.196 %Cumberland County: 15.64 %Dickenson County: 9.34 %Dinwiddie County: 15.646 %Essex County: 12.044 %Fairfax County: 16.288 %Fauquier County: 15.012 %Floyd County: 12.404 %Fluvanna County: 15.262 %Franklin County: 10.953 %Frederick County: 17.871 %Giles County: 8.123 %Gloucester County: 12.525 %Goochland County: 18.65 %Grayson County: 25.125 %Greene County: 20.02 %Greensville County: 9.209 %Halifax County: 10.501 %Hanover County: 15.135 %Henrico County: 16.914 %Henry County: 17.82 %Highland County: 17.15 %Isle of Wight County: 9.221 %James City County: 14.551 %King and Queen County: 9.387 %King George County: 13.372 %King William County: 14.22 %Lancaster County: 11.472 %Lee County: 16.685 %Loudoun County: 16.99 %Louisa County: 13.251 %Lunenburg County: 11.812 %Madison County: 14.326 %Mathews County: 29.879 %Mecklenburg County: 15.709 %Middlesex County: 19.852 %Montgomery County: 14.565 %Nelson County: 13.464 %New Kent County: 16.181 %Northampton County: 15.113 %Northumberland County: 17.18 %Nottoway County: 13.034 %Orange County: 13.187 %Page County: 16.302 %Patrick County: 11.576 %Pittsylvania County: 12.73 %Powhatan County: 15.119 %Prince Edward County: 10.06 %Prince George County: 13.386 %Prince William County: 16.932 %Pulaski County: 16.804 %Rappahannock County: 18.536 %Richmond County: 10.409 %Roanoke County: 12.623 %Rockbridge County: 12.658 %Rockingham County: 11.741 %Russell County: 13.375 %Scott County: 12.799 %Shenandoah County: 13.503 %Smyth County: 9.591 %Southampton County: 11.672 %Spotsylvania County: 15.21 %Stafford County: 14.748 %Surry County: 12.519 %Sussex County: 21.396 %Tazewell County: 10.091 %Warren County: 12.043 %Washington County: 12.918 %Westmoreland County: 12.222 %Wise County: 12.698 %Wythe County: 12.3 %York County: 15.647 %Alexandria city: 15.4 %Bristol city: 12.293 %Buena Vista city: 7.873 %Charlottesville city: 20.233 %Chesapeake city: 15.138 %Colonial Heights city: 15.005 %Covington city: 4.569 %Danville city: 13.629 %Emporia city: 11.668 %Fairfax city: 16.709 %Falls Church city: 14.491 %Franklin city: 9.225 %Fredericksburg city: 16 %Galax city: 8.592 %Hampton city: 14.583 %Harrisonburg city: 13.063 %Hopewell city: 15.541 %Lexington city: 8.582 %Lynchburg city: 10.847 %Manassas city: 13.227 %Manassas Park city: 11.068 %Martinsville city: 15.192 %Newport News city: 8.282 %Norfolk city: 15.76 %Norton city: 22.593 %Petersburg city: 11.245 %Poquoson city: 18.307 %Portsmouth city: 12.741 %Radford city: 16.075 %Richmond city: 16.612 %Roanoke city: 12.166 %Salem city: 10.46 %Staunton city: 11.161 %Suffolk city: 17.151 %Virginia Beach city: 15.26 %Waynesboro city: 11.638 %Williamsburg city: 20.775 %Winchester city: 9.949 %
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 to 17
  • 17 and over
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Mathews County: 29.879 %Mathews County29.879Grayson County: 25.125 %Grayson County25.125Norton city: 22.593 %Norton city22.593Sussex County: 21.396 %Sussex County21.396Brunswick County: 20.96 %Brunswick County20.96Williamsburg city: 20.775 %Williamsburg city20.775Caroline County: 20.748 %Caroline County20.748Charlottesville city: 20.233 %Charlottesville city20.233Greene County: 20.02 %Greene County20.02Middlesex County: 19.852 %Middlesex County19.852Buchanan County: 19.169 %Buchanan County19.169Goochland County: 18.65 %Goochland County18.65Rappahannock County: 18.536 %Rappahannock County18.536Poquoson city: 18.307 %Poquoson city18.307Frederick County: 17.871 %Frederick County17.871Henry County: 17.82 %Henry County17.82Northumberland County: 17.18 %Northumberland County17.18Suffolk city: 17.151 %Suffolk city17.151Highland County: 17.15 %Highland County17.15Loudoun County: 16.99 %Loudoun County16.99Prince William County: 16.932 %Prince William County16.932Henrico County: 16.914 %Henrico County16.914Pulaski County: 16.804 %Pulaski County16.804Fairfax city: 16.709 %Fairfax city16.709Lee County: 16.685 %Lee County16.685Amelia County: 16.649 %Amelia County16.649Richmond city: 16.612 %Richmond city16.612Page County: 16.302 %Page County16.302Fairfax County: 16.288 %Fairfax County16.288New Kent County: 16.181 %New Kent County16.181Radford city: 16.075 %Radford city16.075Fredericksburg city: 16 %Fredericksburg city16Norfolk city: 15.76 %Norfolk city15.76Arlington County: 15.726 %Arlington County15.726Mecklenburg County: 15.709 %Mecklenburg County15.709Chesterfield County: 15.693 %Chesterfield County15.693York County: 15.647 %York County15.647Dinwiddie County: 15.646 %Dinwiddie County15.646Cumberland County: 15.64 %Cumberland County15.64Hopewell city: 15.541 %Hopewell city15.541Mathews County: 29.879 %Mathews County29.879Grayson County: 25.125 %Grayson County25.125Norton city: 22.593 %Norton city22.593Sussex County: 21.396 %Sussex County21.396Brunswick County: 20.96 %Brunswick County20.96Williamsburg city: 20.775 %Williamsburg city20.775Caroline County: 20.748 %Caroline County20.748Charlottesville city: 20.233 %Charlottesville city20.233Greene County: 20.02 %Greene County20.02Middlesex County: 19.852 %Middlesex County19.852Buchanan County: 19.169 %Buchanan County19.169Goochland County: 18.65 %Goochland County18.65Rappahannock County: 18.536 %Rappahannock County18.536Poquoson city: 18.307 %Poquoson city18.307Frederick County: 17.871 %Frederick County17.871Henry County: 17.82 %Henry County17.82Northumberland County: 17.18 %Northumberland County17.18Suffolk city: 17.151 %Suffolk city17.151Highland County: 17.15 %Highland County17.15Loudoun County: 16.99 %Loudoun County16.99Prince William County: 16.932 %Prince William County16.932Henrico County: 16.914 %Henrico County16.914Pulaski County: 16.804 %Pulaski County16.804Fairfax city: 16.709 %Fairfax city16.709Lee County: 16.685 %Lee County16.685Amelia County: 16.649 %Amelia County16.649Richmond city: 16.612 %Richmond city16.612Page County: 16.302 %Page County16.302Fairfax County: 16.288 %Fairfax County16.288New Kent County: 16.181 %New Kent County16.181Radford city: 16.075 %Radford city16.075Fredericksburg city: 16 %Fredericksburg city16Norfolk city: 15.76 %Norfolk city15.76Arlington County: 15.726 %Arlington County15.726Mecklenburg County: 15.709 %Mecklenburg County15.709Chesterfield County: 15.693 %Chesterfield County15.693York County: 15.647 %York County15.647Dinwiddie County: 15.646 %Dinwiddie County15.646Cumberland County: 15.64 %Cumberland County15.64Hopewell city: 15.541 %Hopewell city15.541
%. 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

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Mathews County29.879+18.09 pts
2Grayson County25.125+10.33 pts
3Norton city22.593+12.73 pts
4Sussex County21.396+13.17 pts
5Brunswick County20.96+11.69 pts
6Williamsburg city20.775+14.2 pts
7Caroline County20.748+6.8 pts
8Charlottesville city20.233+10.9 pts
9Greene County20.02-0.47 pts
10Middlesex County19.852+7.72 pts
11Buchanan County19.169+13.02 pts
12Goochland County18.65+11.19 pts
13Rappahannock County18.536+5.49 pts
14Poquoson city18.307-0.82 pts
15Frederick County17.871+6.47 pts
16Henry County17.82+6.13 pts
17Northumberland County17.18+2.89 pts
18Suffolk city17.151+6 pts
19Highland County17.15+8.01 pts
20Loudoun County16.99+1.5 pts
21Prince William County16.932+3.31 pts
22Henrico County16.914+4.79 pts
23Pulaski County16.804+5.98 pts
24Fairfax city16.709+1.38 pts
25Lee County16.685+6.65 pts
26Amelia County16.649+6.11 pts
27Richmond city16.612+6.29 pts
28Page County16.302+3.56 pts
29Fairfax County16.288+2.63 pts
30New Kent County16.181+4.18 pts
31Radford city16.075+2.95 pts
32Fredericksburg city16+4.4 pts
33Norfolk city15.76+6.65 pts
34Arlington County15.726+5.62 pts
35Mecklenburg County15.709+3.57 pts
36Chesterfield County15.693+2.09 pts
37York County15.647+6.8 pts
38Dinwiddie County15.646+5.29 pts
39Cumberland County15.64+1.55 pts
40Hopewell city15.541+5.91 pts
41Alexandria city15.4+5.54 pts
42Fluvanna County15.262-1.98 pts
43Virginia Beach city15.26+2.66 pts
44Spotsylvania County15.21+2.49 pts
45Martinsville city15.192+2.26 pts
46Chesapeake city15.138+3.96 pts
47Hanover County15.135+6.27 pts
48Powhatan County15.119+0.95 pts
49Northampton County15.113+3.8 pts
50Fauquier County15.012+2.72 pts
51Colonial Heights city15.005+4.54 pts
52Stafford County14.748+1.73 pts
53Hampton city14.583+3.26 pts
54Montgomery County14.565-0.34 pts
55James City County14.551+4.94 pts
56Falls Church city14.491+4.51 pts
57Madison County14.326+3.18 pts
58King William County14.22+3.06 pts
59Clarke County14.026+5.76 pts
60Charlotte County13.973-3.96 pts
61Danville city13.629+5.94 pts
62Shenandoah County13.503+4.51 pts
63Nelson County13.464+4.69 pts
64Bedford County13.396-0.48 pts
65Prince George County13.386-5.21 pts
66Russell County13.375+3.41 pts
67King George County13.372-1.5 pts
68Louisa County13.251+0.59 pts
69Manassas city13.227+2.7 pts
70Orange County13.187+0.94 pts
71Albemarle County13.184+4.86 pts
72Harrisonburg city13.063+2.14 pts
73Nottoway County13.034+5.98 pts
74Washington County12.918+1.45 pts
75Appomattox County12.843-0.38 pts
76Scott County12.799+3.95 pts
77Portsmouth city12.741+2.53 pts
78Pittsylvania County12.73-1.12 pts
79Wise County12.698+5.29 pts
80Carroll County12.676-1.6 pts
81Rockbridge County12.658+4.66 pts
82Roanoke County12.623+0.6 pts
83Gloucester County12.525-0.12 pts
84Surry County12.519+9.36 pts
85Floyd County12.404+0.9 pts
86Wythe County12.3+1.65 pts
87Bristol city12.293+4.25 pts
88Westmoreland County12.222-1.57 pts
89Roanoke city12.166-0.94 pts
90Essex County12.044+2.66 pts
91Warren County12.043+0.86 pts
92Buckingham County11.949+4.07 pts
93Craig County11.886+2.05 pts
94Amherst County11.86+0.25 pts
95Lunenburg County11.812+4.77 pts
96Bland County11.765+2.14 pts
97Rockingham County11.741+2.96 pts
98Southampton County11.672-1.36 pts
99Emporia city11.668-5.18 pts
100Waynesboro city11.638-1.48 pts
101Patrick County11.576+4.36 pts
102Lancaster County11.472-5.59 pts
103Augusta County11.339+2.42 pts
104Petersburg city11.245+3.35 pts
105Staunton city11.161+1.68 pts
106Manassas Park city11.068-2.7 pts
107Charles City County10.987+2.02 pts
108Franklin County10.953-1.03 pts
109Lynchburg city10.847+3.43 pts
110Halifax County10.501+0.33 pts
111Salem city10.46+1.48 pts
112Richmond County10.409-12.13 pts
113Campbell County10.249+0.66 pts
114Culpeper County10.196-0.58 pts
115Tazewell County10.091+2.28 pts
116Prince Edward County10.06-0.98 pts
117Winchester city9.949+1.85 pts
118Alleghany County9.827-1.93 pts
119Smyth County9.591+2.72 pts
120Botetourt County9.498-0.79 pts
121King and Queen County9.387-6.59 pts
122Dickenson County9.34+1.39 pts
123Franklin city9.225-3.12 pts
124Isle of Wight County9.221-2.32 pts
125Greensville County9.209-2.8 pts
126Bath County9.039+6.04 pts
127Galax city8.592-1.52 pts
128Lexington city8.582-9.09 pts
129Newport News city8.282+0.25 pts
130Accomack County8.205+0.37 pts
131Giles County8.123-4.85 pts
132Buena Vista city7.873-2.23 pts
133Covington city4.569-8.27 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/virginia-counties?period=2022.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Virginia by job creation rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"job_creation_rate","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=job_creation_rate&level=province&within=Virginia&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest job creation rate?

Mathews County, with 29.879% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Covington city, with 4.569% in 2022.

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