Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate

Bristol city had the highest job destruction rate of 133 counties in 2015, at 24.683%. Surry County had the lowest, at 2.954%. The median was 9.944% and the figure for Virginia was 11.054%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest24.683Bristol city
Lowest2.954Surry County
Median9.944133 counties
Virginia11.054History

Map of counties, 2015

Accomack County: 11.744 %Albemarle County: 10.809 %Alleghany County: 8.915 %Amelia County: 9.441 %Amherst County: 9.017 %Appomattox County: 11.871 %Arlington County: 12.361 %Augusta County: 7.408 %Bath County: 4.872 %Bedford County: 10.294 %Bland County: 9.413 %Botetourt County: 8.355 %Brunswick County: 8.99 %Buchanan County: 24.054 %Buckingham County: 10.963 %Campbell County: 8.082 %Caroline County: 14.127 %Carroll County: 10.184 %Charles City County: 11.895 %Charlotte County: 16.54 %Chesterfield County: 9.55 %Clarke County: 7.829 %Craig County: 12.943 %Culpeper County: 10.106 %Cumberland County: 13.363 %Dickenson County: 17.874 %Dinwiddie County: 9.491 %Essex County: 9.052 %Fairfax County: 13.252 %Fauquier County: 10.194 %Floyd County: 13.012 %Fluvanna County: 10.943 %Franklin County: 7.4 %Frederick County: 7.702 %Giles County: 12.67 %Gloucester County: 9.849 %Goochland County: 12.566 %Grayson County: 16.522 %Greene County: 6.965 %Greensville County: 6.35 %Halifax County: 7.15 %Hanover County: 9.446 %Henrico County: 10.98 %Henry County: 7.819 %Highland County: 17.52 %Isle of Wight County: 6.91 %James City County: 10.679 %King and Queen County: 22.323 %King George County: 17.975 %King William County: 9.901 %Lancaster County: 10 %Lee County: 13.158 %Loudoun County: 10.283 %Louisa County: 6.912 %Lunenburg County: 11.262 %Madison County: 6.083 %Mathews County: 13.307 %Mecklenburg County: 13.626 %Middlesex County: 11.161 %Montgomery County: 8.03 %Nelson County: 9.241 %New Kent County: 15.447 %Northampton County: 8.114 %Northumberland County: 12.37 %Nottoway County: 6.861 %Orange County: 6.946 %Page County: 9.884 %Patrick County: 8.058 %Pittsylvania County: 9.879 %Powhatan County: 12.337 %Prince Edward County: 9.451 %Prince George County: 16.103 %Prince William County: 13.537 %Pulaski County: 7.401 %Rappahannock County: 17.224 %Richmond County: 7.78 %Roanoke County: 8.775 %Rockbridge County: 8.546 %Rockingham County: 5.919 %Russell County: 11.602 %Scott County: 14.108 %Shenandoah County: 6.98 %Smyth County: 13.388 %Southampton County: 11.794 %Spotsylvania County: 11.945 %Stafford County: 13.977 %Surry County: 2.954 %Sussex County: 9.483 %Tazewell County: 8.573 %Warren County: 8.564 %Washington County: 12.986 %Westmoreland County: 9.754 %Wise County: 13.171 %Wythe County: 7.617 %York County: 8.328 %Alexandria city: 9.944 %Bristol city: 24.683 %Buena Vista city: 7.978 %Charlottesville city: 10.638 %Chesapeake city: 9.288 %Colonial Heights city: 9.7 %Covington city: 6.782 %Danville city: 6.949 %Emporia city: 14.803 %Fairfax city: 11.052 %Falls Church city: 11.351 %Franklin city: 8.777 %Fredericksburg city: 15.841 %Galax city: 5.092 %Hampton city: 10.474 %Harrisonburg city: 8.641 %Hopewell city: 15.424 %Lexington city: 6.211 %Lynchburg city: 6.938 %Manassas city: 14.919 %Manassas Park city: 12.392 %Martinsville city: 10.311 %Newport News city: 8.559 %Norfolk city: 11.619 %Norton city: 13.085 %Petersburg city: 9.419 %Poquoson city: 14.345 %Portsmouth city: 13.574 %Radford city: 13.506 %Richmond city: 12.254 %Roanoke city: 8.551 %Salem city: 8.823 %Staunton city: 6.894 %Suffolk city: 8.286 %Virginia Beach city: 12.152 %Waynesboro city: 6.528 %Williamsburg city: 9.586 %Winchester city: 7.324 %
  • Under 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.8
  • 8.8 to 9.9
  • 9.9 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2015. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Bristol city: 24.683 %Bristol city24.683Buchanan County: 24.054 %Buchanan County24.054King and Queen County: 22.323 %King and Queen County22.323King George County: 17.975 %King George County17.975Dickenson County: 17.874 %Dickenson County17.874Highland County: 17.52 %Highland County17.52Rappahannock County: 17.224 %Rappahannock County17.224Charlotte County: 16.54 %Charlotte County16.54Grayson County: 16.522 %Grayson County16.522Prince George County: 16.103 %Prince George County16.103Fredericksburg city: 15.841 %Fredericksburg city15.841New Kent County: 15.447 %New Kent County15.447Hopewell city: 15.424 %Hopewell city15.424Manassas city: 14.919 %Manassas city14.919Emporia city: 14.803 %Emporia city14.803Poquoson city: 14.345 %Poquoson city14.345Caroline County: 14.127 %Caroline County14.127Scott County: 14.108 %Scott County14.108Stafford County: 13.977 %Stafford County13.977Mecklenburg County: 13.626 %Mecklenburg County13.626Portsmouth city: 13.574 %Portsmouth city13.574Prince William County: 13.537 %Prince William County13.537Radford city: 13.506 %Radford city13.506Smyth County: 13.388 %Smyth County13.388Cumberland County: 13.363 %Cumberland County13.363Mathews County: 13.307 %Mathews County13.307Fairfax County: 13.252 %Fairfax County13.252Wise County: 13.171 %Wise County13.171Lee County: 13.158 %Lee County13.158Norton city: 13.085 %Norton city13.085Floyd County: 13.012 %Floyd County13.012Washington County: 12.986 %Washington County12.986Craig County: 12.943 %Craig County12.943Giles County: 12.67 %Giles County12.67Goochland County: 12.566 %Goochland County12.566Manassas Park city: 12.392 %Manassas Park city12.392Northumberland County: 12.37 %Northumberland County12.37Arlington County: 12.361 %Arlington County12.361Powhatan County: 12.337 %Powhatan County12.337Richmond city: 12.254 %Richmond city12.254Bristol city: 24.683 %Bristol city24.683Buchanan County: 24.054 %Buchanan County24.054King and Queen County: 22.323 %King and Queen County22.323King George County: 17.975 %King George County17.975Dickenson County: 17.874 %Dickenson County17.874Highland County: 17.52 %Highland County17.52Rappahannock County: 17.224 %Rappahannock County17.224Charlotte County: 16.54 %Charlotte County16.54Grayson County: 16.522 %Grayson County16.522Prince George County: 16.103 %Prince George County16.103Fredericksburg city: 15.841 %Fredericksburg city15.841New Kent County: 15.447 %New Kent County15.447Hopewell city: 15.424 %Hopewell city15.424Manassas city: 14.919 %Manassas city14.919Emporia city: 14.803 %Emporia city14.803Poquoson city: 14.345 %Poquoson city14.345Caroline County: 14.127 %Caroline County14.127Scott County: 14.108 %Scott County14.108Stafford County: 13.977 %Stafford County13.977Mecklenburg County: 13.626 %Mecklenburg County13.626Portsmouth city: 13.574 %Portsmouth city13.574Prince William County: 13.537 %Prince William County13.537Radford city: 13.506 %Radford city13.506Smyth County: 13.388 %Smyth County13.388Cumberland County: 13.363 %Cumberland County13.363Mathews County: 13.307 %Mathews County13.307Fairfax County: 13.252 %Fairfax County13.252Wise County: 13.171 %Wise County13.171Lee County: 13.158 %Lee County13.158Norton city: 13.085 %Norton city13.085Floyd County: 13.012 %Floyd County13.012Washington County: 12.986 %Washington County12.986Craig County: 12.943 %Craig County12.943Giles County: 12.67 %Giles County12.67Goochland County: 12.566 %Goochland County12.566Manassas Park city: 12.392 %Manassas Park city12.392Northumberland County: 12.37 %Northumberland County12.37Arlington County: 12.361 %Arlington County12.361Powhatan County: 12.337 %Powhatan County12.337Richmond city: 12.254 %Richmond city12.254
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Bristol city24.683+5.41 pts
2Buchanan County24.054+7.6 pts
3King and Queen County22.323+2.39 pts
4King George County17.975+5.28 pts
5Dickenson County17.874-23.13 pts
6Highland County17.52+11.73 pts
7Rappahannock County17.224+5.82 pts
8Charlotte County16.54+9.59 pts
9Grayson County16.522+2.41 pts
10Prince George County16.103+5.72 pts
11Fredericksburg city15.841+8.16 pts
12New Kent County15.447+5.49 pts
13Hopewell city15.424+5.88 pts
14Manassas city14.919+3.53 pts
15Emporia city14.803+9.81 pts
16Poquoson city14.345+2.38 pts
17Caroline County14.127+0.9 pts
18Scott County14.108+7.16 pts
19Stafford County13.977+4.16 pts
20Mecklenburg County13.626+0.3 pts
21Portsmouth city13.574+1.58 pts
22Prince William County13.537+1.97 pts
23Radford city13.506-0.09 pts
24Smyth County13.388+6.36 pts
25Cumberland County13.363+3.47 pts
26Mathews County13.307+1.5 pts
27Fairfax County13.252-2.39 pts
28Wise County13.171-6.25 pts
29Lee County13.158-4.84 pts
30Norton city13.085+1.17 pts
31Floyd County13.012+4.07 pts
32Washington County12.986+4.9 pts
33Craig County12.943+8.61 pts
34Giles County12.67-1.3 pts
35Goochland County12.566+2.94 pts
36Manassas Park city12.392+1.85 pts
37Northumberland County12.37+2.59 pts
38Arlington County12.361-0.37 pts
39Powhatan County12.337+3.54 pts
40Richmond city12.254+2.96 pts
41Virginia Beach city12.152-1.35 pts
42Spotsylvania County11.945+3.03 pts
43Charles City County11.895-0.07 pts
44Appomattox County11.871+1.43 pts
45Southampton County11.794+0.75 pts
46Accomack County11.744+0.37 pts
47Norfolk city11.619+1.11 pts
48Russell County11.602+1.53 pts
49Falls Church city11.351-3.91 pts
50Lunenburg County11.262+4.33 pts
51Middlesex County11.161-0.92 pts
52Fairfax city11.052+0.04 pts
53Henrico County10.98-0.38 pts
54Buckingham County10.963+4.16 pts
55Fluvanna County10.943-0.71 pts
56Albemarle County10.809-0.97 pts
57James City County10.679-1.65 pts
58Charlottesville city10.638+0.94 pts
59Hampton city10.474-1.16 pts
60Martinsville city10.311+0.74 pts
61Bedford County10.294-1.42 pts
62Loudoun County10.283-1.27 pts
63Fauquier County10.194-0.51 pts
64Carroll County10.184+0.17 pts
65Culpeper County10.106+1.08 pts
66Lancaster County10+0.65 pts
67Alexandria city9.944-0.84 pts
68King William County9.901+2.98 pts
69Page County9.884-0.19 pts
70Pittsylvania County9.879+0.14 pts
71Gloucester County9.849+0.13 pts
72Westmoreland County9.754-0.5 pts
73Colonial Heights city9.7-0.99 pts
74Williamsburg city9.586-4.75 pts
75Chesterfield County9.55-0.16 pts
76Dinwiddie County9.491+1.58 pts
77Sussex County9.483+2.24 pts
78Prince Edward County9.451-1.64 pts
79Hanover County9.446-0.6 pts
80Amelia County9.441+0.33 pts
81Petersburg city9.419-0.45 pts
82Bland County9.413+6.36 pts
83Chesapeake city9.288-2.14 pts
84Nelson County9.241+3.12 pts
85Essex County9.052+1.67 pts
86Amherst County9.017-0.78 pts
87Brunswick County8.99-8.56 pts
88Alleghany County8.915-4.99 pts
89Salem city8.823+2.56 pts
90Franklin city8.777+1.92 pts
91Roanoke County8.775-3.79 pts
92Harrisonburg city8.641-0.44 pts
93Tazewell County8.573-2.98 pts
94Warren County8.564+1.87 pts
95Newport News city8.559+1.5 pts
96Roanoke city8.551+0.04 pts
97Rockbridge County8.546+0.63 pts
98Botetourt County8.355-1.48 pts
99York County8.328-0.78 pts
100Suffolk city8.286-4.11 pts
101Northampton County8.114-2.3 pts
102Campbell County8.082-0.44 pts
103Patrick County8.058-0.37 pts
104Montgomery County8.03-5.88 pts
105Buena Vista city7.978-0.03 pts
106Clarke County7.829-3.46 pts
107Henry County7.819-1.77 pts
108Richmond County7.78+0.42 pts
109Frederick County7.702+0.53 pts
110Wythe County7.617-3.92 pts
111Augusta County7.408-1.5 pts
112Pulaski County7.401+0.57 pts
113Franklin County7.4-2.45 pts
114Winchester city7.324-0.05 pts
115Halifax County7.15-5.18 pts
116Shenandoah County6.98+0.2 pts
117Greene County6.965-4.11 pts
118Danville city6.949-2.37 pts
119Orange County6.946-1.68 pts
120Lynchburg city6.938-0.64 pts
121Louisa County6.912-2.66 pts
122Isle of Wight County6.91-12.88 pts
123Staunton city6.894+0.25 pts
124Nottoway County6.861-3.9 pts
125Covington city6.782-5.95 pts
126Waynesboro city6.528-0.95 pts
127Greensville County6.35-5.41 pts
128Lexington city6.211-1.87 pts
129Madison County6.083-0.5 pts
130Rockingham County5.919+0.92 pts
131Galax city5.092-3.64 pts
132Bath County4.872+0.74 pts
133Surry County2.954-2.54 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking 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 added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. 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 destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015) [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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015. 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-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015. 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-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015 [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-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015}},
  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-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate, 2015
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-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction 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 destruction rate?

Bristol city, with 24.683% in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Surry County, with 2.954% in 2015.

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 destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings