Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by job destruction rate

King William County had the highest job destruction rate of 133 counties in 2021, at 30.195%. Bath County had the lowest, at 7.153%. The median was 13.872% and the figure for Virginia was 15.53%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest30.195King William County
Lowest7.153Bath County
Median13.872133 counties
Virginia15.53History

Map of counties, 2021

Accomack County: 13.95 %Albemarle County: 11.76 %Alleghany County: 15.978 %Amelia County: 17.228 %Amherst County: 11.577 %Appomattox County: 9.38 %Arlington County: 17.989 %Augusta County: 9.209 %Bath County: 7.153 %Bedford County: 13.708 %Bland County: 11.057 %Botetourt County: 10.428 %Brunswick County: 17.68 %Buchanan County: 21.781 %Buckingham County: 17.682 %Campbell County: 12.069 %Caroline County: 9.094 %Carroll County: 12.194 %Charles City County: 15.209 %Charlotte County: 15.077 %Chesterfield County: 14.135 %Clarke County: 15.922 %Craig County: 8.575 %Culpeper County: 10.843 %Cumberland County: 11.372 %Dickenson County: 8.098 %Dinwiddie County: 9.781 %Essex County: 21.868 %Fairfax County: 16.142 %Fauquier County: 15.414 %Floyd County: 12.075 %Fluvanna County: 12.17 %Franklin County: 13.8 %Frederick County: 10.825 %Giles County: 9.712 %Gloucester County: 11.961 %Goochland County: 16.726 %Grayson County: 18.136 %Greene County: 16.285 %Greensville County: 12.938 %Halifax County: 12.941 %Hanover County: 15.313 %Henrico County: 19.731 %Henry County: 10.592 %Highland County: 19.321 %Isle of Wight County: 10.9 %James City County: 16.891 %King and Queen County: 14.275 %King George County: 16.106 %King William County: 30.195 %Lancaster County: 16.156 %Lee County: 13.069 %Loudoun County: 16.793 %Louisa County: 12.026 %Lunenburg County: 15.31 %Madison County: 23.857 %Mathews County: 23.002 %Mecklenburg County: 16.658 %Middlesex County: 18.806 %Montgomery County: 17.511 %Nelson County: 21.505 %New Kent County: 13.872 %Northampton County: 12.238 %Northumberland County: 18.647 %Nottoway County: 15.352 %Orange County: 10.277 %Page County: 13.828 %Patrick County: 24.159 %Pittsylvania County: 14.307 %Powhatan County: 12.665 %Prince Edward County: 15.586 %Prince George County: 15.391 %Prince William County: 14.146 %Pulaski County: 8.357 %Rappahannock County: 14.783 %Richmond County: 10.381 %Roanoke County: 11.968 %Rockbridge County: 12.716 %Rockingham County: 9.704 %Russell County: 10.551 %Scott County: 12.721 %Shenandoah County: 14.341 %Smyth County: 8.794 %Southampton County: 8.704 %Spotsylvania County: 13.427 %Stafford County: 12.12 %Surry County: 12.49 %Sussex County: 20.063 %Tazewell County: 11.869 %Warren County: 13.891 %Washington County: 12.7 %Westmoreland County: 13.835 %Wise County: 9.686 %Wythe County: 9.49 %York County: 18.057 %Alexandria city: 16.677 %Bristol city: 12.366 %Buena Vista city: 10.991 %Charlottesville city: 23.492 %Chesapeake city: 13.902 %Colonial Heights city: 18.258 %Covington city: 7.424 %Danville city: 11.322 %Emporia city: 14.832 %Fairfax city: 21.452 %Falls Church city: 17.893 %Franklin city: 13.572 %Fredericksburg city: 21.638 %Galax city: 17.647 %Hampton city: 17.361 %Harrisonburg city: 15.809 %Hopewell city: 15.089 %Lexington city: 8.138 %Lynchburg city: 13.111 %Manassas city: 11.909 %Manassas Park city: 12.21 %Martinsville city: 14.279 %Newport News city: 9.253 %Norfolk city: 17.067 %Norton city: 13.035 %Petersburg city: 16.239 %Poquoson city: 16.175 %Portsmouth city: 16.949 %Radford city: 12.884 %Richmond city: 18.471 %Roanoke city: 19.81 %Salem city: 12.638 %Staunton city: 13.663 %Suffolk city: 12.658 %Virginia Beach city: 15.594 %Waynesboro city: 13.676 %Williamsburg city: 27.885 %Winchester city: 12.322 %
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

King William County: 30.195 %King William County30.195Williamsburg city: 27.885 %Williamsburg city27.885Patrick County: 24.159 %Patrick County24.159Madison County: 23.857 %Madison County23.857Charlottesville city: 23.492 %Charlottesville city23.492Mathews County: 23.002 %Mathews County23.002Essex County: 21.868 %Essex County21.868Buchanan County: 21.781 %Buchanan County21.781Fredericksburg city: 21.638 %Fredericksburg city21.638Nelson County: 21.505 %Nelson County21.505Fairfax city: 21.452 %Fairfax city21.452Sussex County: 20.063 %Sussex County20.063Roanoke city: 19.81 %Roanoke city19.81Henrico County: 19.731 %Henrico County19.731Highland County: 19.321 %Highland County19.321Middlesex County: 18.806 %Middlesex County18.806Northumberland County: 18.647 %Northumberland County18.647Richmond city: 18.471 %Richmond city18.471Colonial Heights city: 18.258 %Colonial Heights city18.258Grayson County: 18.136 %Grayson County18.136York County: 18.057 %York County18.057Arlington County: 17.989 %Arlington County17.989Falls Church city: 17.893 %Falls Church city17.893Buckingham County: 17.682 %Buckingham County17.682Brunswick County: 17.68 %Brunswick County17.68Galax city: 17.647 %Galax city17.647Montgomery County: 17.511 %Montgomery County17.511Hampton city: 17.361 %Hampton city17.361Amelia County: 17.228 %Amelia County17.228Norfolk city: 17.067 %Norfolk city17.067Portsmouth city: 16.949 %Portsmouth city16.949James City County: 16.891 %James City County16.891Loudoun County: 16.793 %Loudoun County16.793Goochland County: 16.726 %Goochland County16.726Alexandria city: 16.677 %Alexandria city16.677Mecklenburg County: 16.658 %Mecklenburg County16.658Greene County: 16.285 %Greene County16.285Petersburg city: 16.239 %Petersburg city16.239Poquoson city: 16.175 %Poquoson city16.175Lancaster County: 16.156 %Lancaster County16.156King William County: 30.195 %King William County30.195Williamsburg city: 27.885 %Williamsburg city27.885Patrick County: 24.159 %Patrick County24.159Madison County: 23.857 %Madison County23.857Charlottesville city: 23.492 %Charlottesville city23.492Mathews County: 23.002 %Mathews County23.002Essex County: 21.868 %Essex County21.868Buchanan County: 21.781 %Buchanan County21.781Fredericksburg city: 21.638 %Fredericksburg city21.638Nelson County: 21.505 %Nelson County21.505Fairfax city: 21.452 %Fairfax city21.452Sussex County: 20.063 %Sussex County20.063Roanoke city: 19.81 %Roanoke city19.81Henrico County: 19.731 %Henrico County19.731Highland County: 19.321 %Highland County19.321Middlesex County: 18.806 %Middlesex County18.806Northumberland County: 18.647 %Northumberland County18.647Richmond city: 18.471 %Richmond city18.471Colonial Heights city: 18.258 %Colonial Heights city18.258Grayson County: 18.136 %Grayson County18.136York County: 18.057 %York County18.057Arlington County: 17.989 %Arlington County17.989Falls Church city: 17.893 %Falls Church city17.893Buckingham County: 17.682 %Buckingham County17.682Brunswick County: 17.68 %Brunswick County17.68Galax city: 17.647 %Galax city17.647Montgomery County: 17.511 %Montgomery County17.511Hampton city: 17.361 %Hampton city17.361Amelia County: 17.228 %Amelia County17.228Norfolk city: 17.067 %Norfolk city17.067Portsmouth city: 16.949 %Portsmouth city16.949James City County: 16.891 %James City County16.891Loudoun County: 16.793 %Loudoun County16.793Goochland County: 16.726 %Goochland County16.726Alexandria city: 16.677 %Alexandria city16.677Mecklenburg County: 16.658 %Mecklenburg County16.658Greene County: 16.285 %Greene County16.285Petersburg city: 16.239 %Petersburg city16.239Poquoson city: 16.175 %Poquoson city16.175Lancaster County: 16.156 %Lancaster County16.156
%. 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

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1King William County30.195+19.68 pts
2Williamsburg city27.885+14.56 pts
3Patrick County24.159-2.35 pts
4Madison County23.857+13.6 pts
5Charlottesville city23.492+11.55 pts
6Mathews County23.002+6.36 pts
7Essex County21.868+12.05 pts
8Buchanan County21.781+3.7 pts
9Fredericksburg city21.638+12.32 pts
10Nelson County21.505+11.98 pts
11Fairfax city21.452+9.5 pts
12Sussex County20.063+11.32 pts
13Roanoke city19.81-0.43 pts
14Henrico County19.731+8.51 pts
15Highland County19.321+6.43 pts
16Middlesex County18.806+6.82 pts
17Northumberland County18.647+8.15 pts
18Richmond city18.471+7.77 pts
19Colonial Heights city18.258+6.71 pts
20Grayson County18.136+8.71 pts
21York County18.057+6.27 pts
22Arlington County17.989+7.02 pts
23Falls Church city17.893+6.36 pts
24Buckingham County17.682+9.47 pts
25Brunswick County17.68+9.4 pts
26Galax city17.647+5.13 pts
27Montgomery County17.511+5.79 pts
28Hampton city17.361+2.52 pts
29Amelia County17.228+1.13 pts
30Norfolk city17.067+6.32 pts
31Portsmouth city16.949+6.53 pts
32James City County16.891+7.19 pts
33Loudoun County16.793+4.4 pts
34Goochland County16.726+13.1 pts
35Alexandria city16.677+6.15 pts
36Mecklenburg County16.658+2.13 pts
37Greene County16.285+5.95 pts
38Petersburg city16.239+8.46 pts
39Poquoson city16.175-1.89 pts
40Lancaster County16.156+8.49 pts
41Fairfax County16.142+5.03 pts
42King George County16.106+3.05 pts
43Alleghany County15.978+1.61 pts
44Clarke County15.922+10.1 pts
45Harrisonburg city15.809+5.8 pts
46Virginia Beach city15.594+3.87 pts
47Prince Edward County15.586+6.27 pts
48Fauquier County15.414+2.49 pts
49Prince George County15.391-3.15 pts
50Nottoway County15.352+5.76 pts
51Hanover County15.313+5.76 pts
52Lunenburg County15.31-1.22 pts
53Charles City County15.209+5.77 pts
54Hopewell city15.089+0.13 pts
55Charlotte County15.077-4.21 pts
56Emporia city14.832+0.09 pts
57Rappahannock County14.783+2.81 pts
58Shenandoah County14.341+3.49 pts
59Pittsylvania County14.307+4.61 pts
60Martinsville city14.279+2.6 pts
61King and Queen County14.275+0.15 pts
62Prince William County14.146+2.61 pts
63Chesterfield County14.135+3.5 pts
64Accomack County13.95+3.53 pts
65Chesapeake city13.902+4.06 pts
66Warren County13.891+6.27 pts
67New Kent County13.872-4.42 pts
68Westmoreland County13.835+4.17 pts
69Page County13.828-0.05 pts
70Franklin County13.8+4.73 pts
71Bedford County13.708+1.82 pts
72Waynesboro city13.676+1.64 pts
73Staunton city13.663+6.16 pts
74Franklin city13.572+6.38 pts
75Spotsylvania County13.427+1.56 pts
76Lynchburg city13.111+5.04 pts
77Lee County13.069+2.12 pts
78Norton city13.035-2.85 pts
79Halifax County12.941+3.35 pts
80Greensville County12.938+8.71 pts
81Radford city12.884+0.67 pts
82Scott County12.721+6.12 pts
83Rockbridge County12.716-0.97 pts
84Washington County12.7-0.73 pts
85Powhatan County12.665+3.85 pts
86Suffolk city12.658+1.22 pts
87Salem city12.638+4.64 pts
88Surry County12.49+8.07 pts
89Bristol city12.366+1.69 pts
90Winchester city12.322+2.96 pts
91Northampton County12.238-2.33 pts
92Manassas Park city12.21-0.85 pts
93Carroll County12.194+3.75 pts
94Fluvanna County12.17-2.68 pts
95Stafford County12.12+2.42 pts
96Floyd County12.075+4.7 pts
97Campbell County12.069+4.25 pts
98Louisa County12.026+1.24 pts
99Roanoke County11.968+2.46 pts
100Gloucester County11.961+2.29 pts
101Manassas city11.909+2.13 pts
102Tazewell County11.869+1.71 pts
103Albemarle County11.76+3.33 pts
104Amherst County11.577+2.96 pts
105Cumberland County11.372-6.86 pts
106Danville city11.322+0.72 pts
107Bland County11.057+4.1 pts
108Buena Vista city10.991+0.88 pts
109Isle of Wight County10.9+1.96 pts
110Culpeper County10.843+0.53 pts
111Frederick County10.825+3.58 pts
112Henry County10.592+0.6 pts
113Russell County10.551-1.11 pts
114Botetourt County10.428+0.97 pts
115Richmond County10.381-0.79 pts
116Orange County10.277+0.69 pts
117Dinwiddie County9.781+2.03 pts
118Giles County9.712+0.11 pts
119Rockingham County9.704+1.96 pts
120Wise County9.686-0.22 pts
121Wythe County9.49-0.81 pts
122Appomattox County9.38+1.46 pts
123Newport News city9.253+0.82 pts
124Augusta County9.209+1.86 pts
125Caroline County9.094-0.37 pts
126Smyth County8.794-7.35 pts
127Southampton County8.704-1.57 pts
128Craig County8.575-2.07 pts
129Pulaski County8.357-10.28 pts
130Lexington city8.138+1.18 pts
131Dickenson County8.098-1.69 pts
132Covington city7.424-5.67 pts
133Bath County7.153+3.85 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/virginia-counties?period=2021.
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?

King William County, with 30.195% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Bath County, with 7.153% in 2021.

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