Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate / Cities in Virginia

Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate

Danville, VA had the highest unemployment rate of 34 cities in March 2026, at 6.1%. Charlottesville, VA had the lowest, at 3.1%. The median was 4% and the figure for Virginia was 3.8%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6.1Danville, VA
Lowest3.1Charlottesville, VA
Median434 cities
Virginia3.8History

All cities, March 2026

Danville, VA: 6.1 %Danville, VA6.1Martinsville, VA: 5.7 %Martinsville, VA5.7Williamsburg, VA: 5.6 %Williamsburg, VA5.6Petersburg, VA: 5.5 %Petersburg, VA5.5Blacksburg, VA: 5.3 %Blacksburg, VA5.3Hopewell, VA: 5.1 %Hopewell, VA5.1Radford, VA: 5.1 %Radford, VA5.1Lynchburg, VA: 4.8 %Lynchburg, VA4.8Portsmouth, VA: 4.8 %Portsmouth, VA4.8Hampton, VA: 4.5 %Hampton, VA4.5Newport News, VA: 4.4 %Newport News, VA4.4Norfolk, VA: 4.4 %Norfolk, VA4.4Richmond, VA: 4.1 %Richmond, VA4.1Bristol, VA: 4 %Bristol, VA4Colonial Heights, VA: 4 %Colonial Heights, VA4Fredericksburg, VA: 4 %Fredericksburg, VA4Harrisonburg, VA: 4 %Harrisonburg, VA4Roanoke, VA: 4 %Roanoke, VA4Suffolk, VA: 3.9 %Suffolk, VA3.9Falls Church, VA: 3.8 %Falls Church, VA3.8Chesapeake, VA: 3.7 %Chesapeake, VA3.7Winchester, VA: 3.7 %Winchester, VA3.7Manassas Park, VA: 3.5 %Manassas Park, VA3.5Salem, VA: 3.5 %Salem, VA3.5Staunton, VA: 3.5 %Staunton, VA3.5Virginia Beach, VA: 3.5 %Virginia Beach, VA3.5Alexandria, VA: 3.4 %Alexandria, VA3.4Leesburg, VA: 3.4 %Leesburg, VA3.4Manassas, VA: 3.4 %Manassas, VA3.4Herndon, VA: 3.3 %Herndon, VA3.3Waynesboro, VA: 3.3 %Waynesboro, VA3.3Fairfax, VA: 3.2 %Fairfax, VA3.2Poquoson, VA: 3.2 %Poquoson, VA3.2Charlottesville, VA: 3.1 %Charlottesville, VA3.1Danville, VA: 6.1 %Danville, VA6.1Martinsville, VA: 5.7 %Martinsville, VA5.7Williamsburg, VA: 5.6 %Williamsburg, VA5.6Petersburg, VA: 5.5 %Petersburg, VA5.5Blacksburg, VA: 5.3 %Blacksburg, VA5.3Hopewell, VA: 5.1 %Hopewell, VA5.1Radford, VA: 5.1 %Radford, VA5.1Lynchburg, VA: 4.8 %Lynchburg, VA4.8Portsmouth, VA: 4.8 %Portsmouth, VA4.8Hampton, VA: 4.5 %Hampton, VA4.5Newport News, VA: 4.4 %Newport News, VA4.4Norfolk, VA: 4.4 %Norfolk, VA4.4Richmond, VA: 4.1 %Richmond, VA4.1Bristol, VA: 4 %Bristol, VA4Colonial Heights, VA: 4 %Colonial Heights, VA4Fredericksburg, VA: 4 %Fredericksburg, VA4Harrisonburg, VA: 4 %Harrisonburg, VA4Roanoke, VA: 4 %Roanoke, VA4Suffolk, VA: 3.9 %Suffolk, VA3.9Falls Church, VA: 3.8 %Falls Church, VA3.8Chesapeake, VA: 3.7 %Chesapeake, VA3.7Winchester, VA: 3.7 %Winchester, VA3.7Manassas Park, VA: 3.5 %Manassas Park, VA3.5Salem, VA: 3.5 %Salem, VA3.5Staunton, VA: 3.5 %Staunton, VA3.5Virginia Beach, VA: 3.5 %Virginia Beach, VA3.5Alexandria, VA: 3.4 %Alexandria, VA3.4Leesburg, VA: 3.4 %Leesburg, VA3.4Manassas, VA: 3.4 %Manassas, VA3.4Herndon, VA: 3.3 %Herndon, VA3.3Waynesboro, VA: 3.3 %Waynesboro, VA3.3Fairfax, VA: 3.2 %Fairfax, VA3.2Poquoson, VA: 3.2 %Poquoson, VA3.2Charlottesville, VA: 3.1 %Charlottesville, VA3.1
%. Source: BLS, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCitiesMarch 2026 (%)Change on March 2025
1Danville, VA6.1+1.2 pts
2Martinsville, VA5.7+0.3 pts
3Williamsburg, VA5.6+0.2 pts
4Petersburg, VA5.5+0.7 pts
5Blacksburg, VA5.3+0.2 pts
6Hopewell, VA5.1+0.5 pts
6Radford, VA5.1+0.3 pts
8Lynchburg, VA4.8+0.4 pts
8Portsmouth, VA4.8+0.7 pts
10Hampton, VA4.5+0.4 pts
11Newport News, VA4.4+0.6 pts
11Norfolk, VA4.4+0.6 pts
13Richmond, VA4.1+0.5 pts
14Bristol, VA4+0.3 pts
14Colonial Heights, VA4+0.8 pts
14Fredericksburg, VA4+0.5 pts
14Harrisonburg, VA40 pts
14Roanoke, VA4+0.5 pts
19Suffolk, VA3.9+0.5 pts
20Falls Church, VA3.8+0.6 pts
21Chesapeake, VA3.7+0.5 pts
21Winchester, VA3.7+0.3 pts
23Manassas Park, VA3.5+0.6 pts
23Salem, VA3.5+0.3 pts
23Staunton, VA3.5+0.5 pts
23Virginia Beach, VA3.5+0.5 pts
27Alexandria, VA3.4+0.5 pts
27Leesburg, VA3.4+0.6 pts
27Manassas, VA3.4+0.5 pts
30Herndon, VA3.3+0.7 pts
30Waynesboro, VA3.3+0.3 pts
32Fairfax, VA3.2+0.4 pts
32Poquoson, VA3.2+0.5 pts
34Charlottesville, VA3.1+0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force, using the survey definition of unemployment: without work, available and looking for work.

More on how it is measured
  • Spain: EPA, aged 16 and over.
  • EU: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74.
  • United States: civilian labour force aged 16 and over, from the Current Population Survey for the nation and from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics models, consistent with that survey, for states, counties and cities.
  • United Kingdom regions: Labour Force Survey, aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted.
  • Canada: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the country and the provinces.
  • Australia: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted, for the nation and the six states; the ABS publishes no seasonally adjusted series for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • New Zealand: Household Labour Force Survey, aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted for the country and not seasonally adjusted for regional council areas.
  • Norway: Statistics Norway Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted monthly figures.
  • Sweden: Labour Force Survey, aged 15 to 74, seasonally adjusted and smoothed (the series Statistics Sweden gives in its monthly release), national.
  • Switzerland: Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS), ILO definition, permanent resident population aged 15 and over, seasonally adjusted quarterly averages, national.
  • For other countries, the source may be OECD survey-based rates, annual survey-based rates compiled by the ILO in ILOSTAT, or annual ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank.
  • ILO modelled estimates cover ages 15 and over.
  • The World series uses those ILO modelled estimates.

Survey-based for national and Eurostat series. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states, US counties, US cities (those of 25,000 or more and smaller New England cities), United Kingdom regions, Canadian provinces, Australia and its six states, New Zealand with 10 of its regions, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland (national), not Spanish municipalities. For Spanish municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. 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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03) (Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29

MLA 9

Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 30 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03), Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_cities_in_virginia_by_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03): Cities in Virginia by unemployment rate, 2026-03
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate/virginia-cities?period=2026-03.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate?

Danville, VA, with 6.1% in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate?

Charlottesville, VA, with 3.1% in March 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, cities and towns, not seasonally adjusted: unemployment rate (measure 03). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate: other rankings

Cities in Virginia: more rankings