Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)

Highland County had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 133 counties in 2022, at 14.7%. Buena Vista city had the lowest, at 1.3%. The median was 4.3% and the figure for Virginia was 4.4%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest14.7Highland County
Median4.3133 counties
Virginia4.4History

Map of counties, 2022

Accomack County: 3.7 %Albemarle County: 3.1 %Alleghany County: 3.7 %Amelia County: 4.1 %Amherst County: 4.5 %Appomattox County: 3.5 %Arlington County: 2.8 %Augusta County: 3 %Bath County: 2 %Bedford County: 2.9 %Bland County: 3.4 %Botetourt County: 3.1 %Brunswick County: 5.2 %Buchanan County: 6 %Buckingham County: 5 %Campbell County: 4.9 %Caroline County: 4.6 %Carroll County: 4.8 %Charles City County: 4.1 %Charlotte County: 3.6 %Chesterfield County: 4.7 %Clarke County: 3.5 %Craig County: 1.9 %Culpeper County: 3.9 %Cumberland County: 3.2 %Dickenson County: 3.4 %Dinwiddie County: 4.7 %Essex County: 9.9 %Fairfax County: 4.1 %Fauquier County: 2.3 %Floyd County: 2.6 %Fluvanna County: 3 %Franklin County: 2.8 %Frederick County: 4.2 %Giles County: 2.2 %Gloucester County: 3.4 %Goochland County: 2.4 %Grayson County: 4.3 %Greene County: 3.8 %Greensville County: 6.3 %Halifax County: 3.7 %Hanover County: 2.9 %Henrico County: 3.9 %Henry County: 5.2 %Highland County: 14.7 %Isle of Wight County: 5.5 %James City County: 3.7 %King and Queen County: 5.7 %King George County: 2.6 %King William County: 4 %Lancaster County: 9.4 %Lee County: 8.1 %Loudoun County: 3.2 %Louisa County: 6.4 %Lunenburg County: 4 %Madison County: 3.7 %Mathews County: 8.2 %Mecklenburg County: 3.6 %Middlesex County: 4.6 %Montgomery County: 3.3 %Nelson County: 3.2 %New Kent County: 3.1 %Northampton County: 4.8 %Northumberland County: 4.9 %Nottoway County: 6.4 %Orange County: 4.4 %Page County: 4.6 %Patrick County: 2.3 %Pittsylvania County: 5.4 %Powhatan County: 2.6 %Prince Edward County: 2.4 %Prince George County: 7.5 %Prince William County: 4.7 %Pulaski County: 3.3 %Rappahannock County: 6.5 %Richmond County: 4 %Roanoke County: 2.6 %Rockbridge County: 3.9 %Rockingham County: 2.8 %Russell County: 5.9 %Scott County: 3.4 %Shenandoah County: 4.2 %Smyth County: 3.3 %Southampton County: 5.5 %Spotsylvania County: 5.7 %Stafford County: 3.9 %Surry County: 6 %Sussex County: 5 %Tazewell County: 5.7 %Warren County: 5.7 %Washington County: 4.2 %Westmoreland County: 9.1 %Wise County: 9.1 %Wythe County: 5.2 %York County: 4.2 %Alexandria city: 3.2 %Bristol city: 4.1 %Buena Vista city: 1.3 %Charlottesville city: 5.1 %Chesapeake city: 5 %Colonial Heights city: 6.1 %Covington city: 2.6 %Danville city: 5.8 %Emporia city: 7 %Fairfax city: 3.7 %Falls Church city: 6 %Franklin city: 5.3 %Fredericksburg city: 5.2 %Galax city: 4.4 %Hampton city: 6.5 %Harrisonburg city: 6.8 %Hopewell city: 8.8 %Lexington city: 2.5 %Lynchburg city: 5.4 %Manassas city: 3.3 %Manassas Park city: 3.2 %Martinsville city: 4.3 %Newport News city: 5.6 %Norfolk city: 6.7 %Norton city: 7.3 %Petersburg city: 11.3 %Poquoson city: 1.4 %Portsmouth city: 6.6 %Radford city: 7.2 %Richmond city: 6.1 %Roanoke city: 6.6 %Salem city: 3.5 %Staunton city: 5.1 %Suffolk city: 6.3 %Virginia Beach city: 4.3 %Waynesboro city: 4.7 %Williamsburg city: 6 %Winchester city: 5.2 %
  • Under 3
  • 3 to 3.7
  • 3.7 to 4.3
  • 4.3 to 5.2
  • 5.2 to 6.3
  • 6.3 and over
%, 2022. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2022

Highland County: 14.7 %Highland County14.7Petersburg city: 11.3 %Petersburg city11.3Essex County: 9.9 %Essex County9.9Lancaster County: 9.4 %Lancaster County9.4Wise County: 9.1 %Wise County9.1Westmoreland County: 9.1 %Westmoreland County9.1Hopewell city: 8.8 %Hopewell city8.8Mathews County: 8.2 %Mathews County8.2Lee County: 8.1 %Lee County8.1Prince George County: 7.5 %Prince George County7.5Norton city: 7.3 %Norton city7.3Radford city: 7.2 %Radford city7.2Emporia city: 7 %Emporia city7Harrisonburg city: 6.8 %Harrisonburg city6.8Norfolk city: 6.7 %Norfolk city6.7Portsmouth city: 6.6 %Portsmouth city6.6Roanoke city: 6.6 %Roanoke city6.6Hampton city: 6.5 %Hampton city6.5Rappahannock County: 6.5 %Rappahannock County6.5Louisa County: 6.4 %Louisa County6.4Nottoway County: 6.4 %Nottoway County6.4Greensville County: 6.3 %Greensville County6.3Suffolk city: 6.3 %Suffolk city6.3Colonial Heights city: 6.1 %Colonial Heights city6.1Richmond city: 6.1 %Richmond city6.1Surry County: 6 %Surry County6Williamsburg city: 6 %Williamsburg city6Falls Church city: 6 %Falls Church city6Buchanan County: 6 %Buchanan County6Russell County: 5.9 %Russell County5.9Danville city: 5.8 %Danville city5.8Tazewell County: 5.7 %Tazewell County5.7King and Queen County: 5.7 %King and Queen County5.7Spotsylvania County: 5.7 %Spotsylvania County5.7Warren County: 5.7 %Warren County5.7Newport News city: 5.6 %Newport News city5.6Southampton County: 5.5 %Southampton County5.5Isle of Wight County: 5.5 %Isle of Wight County5.5Lynchburg city: 5.4 %Lynchburg city5.4Pittsylvania County: 5.4 %Pittsylvania County5.4Highland County: 14.7 %Highland County14.7Petersburg city: 11.3 %Petersburg city11.3Essex County: 9.9 %Essex County9.9Lancaster County: 9.4 %Lancaster County9.4Wise County: 9.1 %Wise County9.1Westmoreland County: 9.1 %Westmoreland County9.1Hopewell city: 8.8 %Hopewell city8.8Mathews County: 8.2 %Mathews County8.2Lee County: 8.1 %Lee County8.1Prince George County: 7.5 %Prince George County7.5Norton city: 7.3 %Norton city7.3Radford city: 7.2 %Radford city7.2Emporia city: 7 %Emporia city7Harrisonburg city: 6.8 %Harrisonburg city6.8Norfolk city: 6.7 %Norfolk city6.7Portsmouth city: 6.6 %Portsmouth city6.6Roanoke city: 6.6 %Roanoke city6.6Hampton city: 6.5 %Hampton city6.5Rappahannock County: 6.5 %Rappahannock County6.5Louisa County: 6.4 %Louisa County6.4Nottoway County: 6.4 %Nottoway County6.4Greensville County: 6.3 %Greensville County6.3Suffolk city: 6.3 %Suffolk city6.3Colonial Heights city: 6.1 %Colonial Heights city6.1Richmond city: 6.1 %Richmond city6.1Surry County: 6 %Surry County6Williamsburg city: 6 %Williamsburg city6Falls Church city: 6 %Falls Church city6Buchanan County: 6 %Buchanan County6Russell County: 5.9 %Russell County5.9Danville city: 5.8 %Danville city5.8Tazewell County: 5.7 %Tazewell County5.7King and Queen County: 5.7 %King and Queen County5.7Spotsylvania County: 5.7 %Spotsylvania County5.7Warren County: 5.7 %Warren County5.7Newport News city: 5.6 %Newport News city5.6Southampton County: 5.5 %Southampton County5.5Isle of Wight County: 5.5 %Isle of Wight County5.5Lynchburg city: 5.4 %Lynchburg city5.4Pittsylvania County: 5.4 %Pittsylvania County5.4
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Highland County14.7-1.5 pts
2Petersburg city11.3-0.8 pts
3Essex County9.9+1.2 pts
4Lancaster County9.4-2.4 pts
5Wise County9.1-1.5 pts
6Westmoreland County9.1-2.4 pts
7Hopewell city8.8+0.1 pts
8Mathews County8.2+1.2 pts
9Lee County8.1-1.3 pts
10Prince George County7.5+0.3 pts
11Norton city7.3-0.9 pts
12Radford city7.2-0.1 pts
13Emporia city7-8.9 pts
14Harrisonburg city6.8+1.4 pts
15Norfolk city6.7-0.4 pts
16Portsmouth city6.6+0.3 pts
17Roanoke city6.6+0.2 pts
18Hampton city6.5+0.6 pts
19Rappahannock County6.5+2.8 pts
20Louisa County6.4+0.3 pts
20Nottoway County6.4+0.6 pts
22Greensville County6.3-2.5 pts
23Suffolk city6.3-0.2 pts
24Colonial Heights city6.1-0.4 pts
25Richmond city6.1+0.1 pts
26Surry County6-0.4 pts
27Williamsburg city6-0.1 pts
28Falls Church city6+0.9 pts
29Buchanan County6+0.1 pts
30Russell County5.9-1 pts
31Danville city5.8-0.2 pts
32Tazewell County5.7-0.7 pts
33King and Queen County5.7+2.4 pts
34Spotsylvania County5.7-0.3 pts
34Warren County5.7-0.3 pts
36Newport News city5.6-0.1 pts
37Southampton County5.5-0.8 pts
38Isle of Wight County5.5-0.2 pts
39Lynchburg city5.4-0.6 pts
40Pittsylvania County5.40 pts
41Franklin city5.3-3.2 pts
42Henry County5.2-0.7 pts
43Winchester city5.2+1.2 pts
44Fredericksburg city5.2+0.2 pts
45Wythe County5.20 pts
46Brunswick County5.2-1.7 pts
47Charlottesville city5.1+0.8 pts
48Staunton city5.1-0.1 pts
49Buckingham County5-2 pts
50Chesapeake city5-0.1 pts
51Sussex County5-0.8 pts
52Campbell County4.9+0.5 pts
52Northumberland County4.9-2.4 pts
54Carroll County4.8-0.2 pts
55Northampton County4.8-0.5 pts
56Chesterfield County4.70 pts
56Dinwiddie County4.7-1.4 pts
56Waynesboro city4.7+0.1 pts
59Prince William County4.7-0.3 pts
60Page County4.6+0.3 pts
61Caroline County4.6+0.5 pts
62Middlesex County4.6-1.6 pts
63Amherst County4.5-0.6 pts
64Galax city4.4-0.8 pts
64Orange County4.4-0.6 pts
66Martinsville city4.3-1.2 pts
67Grayson County4.3-0.4 pts
67Virginia Beach city4.3-0 pts
69York County4.2-0.5 pts
70Frederick County4.2+0.4 pts
70Washington County4.2-0.6 pts
72Shenandoah County4.2+0.2 pts
73Bristol city4.1+0.4 pts
74Amelia County4.1-0.2 pts
75Fairfax County4.1-0 pts
76Charles City County4.1+0.7 pts
77Richmond County4+1.3 pts
78Lunenburg County4-0.8 pts
79King William County4+1 pts
80Stafford County3.9-0.2 pts
81Rockbridge County3.9-1.4 pts
82Henrico County3.9-0.2 pts
83Culpeper County3.9-0.3 pts
84Greene County3.8-0.2 pts
85Accomack County3.7-0.1 pts
86Alleghany County3.7+0.5 pts
86Madison County3.7-1.3 pts
88Fairfax city3.7+0.1 pts
88Halifax County3.7-1.3 pts
90James City County3.7-0.8 pts
91Charlotte County3.6-0.5 pts
91Mecklenburg County3.6+0.2 pts
93Salem city3.5-0.1 pts
94Appomattox County3.5-0.2 pts
94Clarke County3.5-0.2 pts
96Dickenson County3.4-1.1 pts
96Scott County3.4-0.6 pts
98Gloucester County3.40 pts
99Bland County3.4-0.6 pts
100Manassas city3.3-1.6 pts
101Montgomery County3.3-0.3 pts
102Pulaski County3.3-0.5 pts
103Smyth County3.3-0.6 pts
104Nelson County3.2-1.5 pts
105Alexandria city3.2-0 pts
106Loudoun County3.2-0.2 pts
107Cumberland County3.2+0.5 pts
108Manassas Park city3.2+0.2 pts
109Albemarle County3.1-0.2 pts
110Botetourt County3.10 pts
111New Kent County3.1-0.1 pts
112Augusta County3-0 pts
113Fluvanna County3+0.1 pts
114Hanover County2.9-0.2 pts
115Bedford County2.9-0.2 pts
116Franklin County2.8-0 pts
117Rockingham County2.8-0.3 pts
118Arlington County2.8-0.1 pts
119Floyd County2.6-0.7 pts
120Powhatan County2.6+0.7 pts
121Roanoke County2.6-0.3 pts
122King George County2.6-0.3 pts
123Covington city2.6-0.9 pts
124Lexington city2.5-1 pts
125Goochland County2.4-0.7 pts
126Prince Edward County2.4-2.1 pts
127Fauquier County2.3-0.6 pts
128Patrick County2.3-0.6 pts
129Giles County2.2+0.1 pts
130Bath County2+0.3 pts
131Craig County1.9+0.5 pts
132Poquoson city1.4-0.2 pts
133Buena Vista city1.30 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

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. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. 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. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/virginia-counties?period=2022.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. 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 unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"unemployment_rate_acs","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=unemployment_rate_acs&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 unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Highland County, with 14.7% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Buena Vista city, with 1.3% 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, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings