Counties in Virginia by unemployment rate, August 2026
Emporia city had the highest unemployment rate of 133 counties in August 2026, at 7.6%. Bath County had the lowest, at 2.5%. The median was 3.6% and the figure for Virginia was 3.6%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top 40 counties, August 2026
Full ranking
| Rank | Counties | August 2026 (%) | Change on August 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emporia city Provisional | 7.6 | -1.7 pts |
| 2 | Buchanan County Provisional | 7 | +0.9 pts |
| 3 | Lexington city Provisional | 6.3 | +0.2 pts |
| 4 | Danville city Provisional | 5.9 | -0.4 pts |
| 4 | Greensville County Provisional | 5.9 | -1.8 pts |
| 6 | Petersburg city Provisional | 5.7 | +0.3 pts |
| 7 | Martinsville city Provisional | 5.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 7 | Prince Edward County Provisional | 5.5 | +0.2 pts |
| 7 | Williamsburg city Provisional | 5.5 | 0 pts |
| 10 | Franklin city Provisional | 5.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 11 | Hopewell city Provisional | 5.1 | +0.2 pts |
| 12 | Tazewell County Provisional | 5 | -0.3 pts |
| 13 | Henry County Provisional | 4.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 13 | Lynchburg city Provisional | 4.9 | +0.4 pts |
| 13 | Radford city Provisional | 4.9 | -0.8 pts |
| 13 | Wise County Provisional | 4.9 | +0.3 pts |
| 17 | Halifax County Provisional | 4.8 | -0.5 pts |
| 17 | Lee County Provisional | 4.8 | +0.1 pts |
| 17 | Northumberland County Provisional | 4.8 | -0.2 pts |
| 20 | Dickenson County Provisional | 4.7 | -0.2 pts |
| 21 | Portsmouth city Provisional | 4.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 21 | Russell County Provisional | 4.6 | 0 pts |
| 21 | Westmoreland County Provisional | 4.6 | -0.2 pts |
| 24 | Covington city Provisional | 4.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 24 | Norton city Provisional | 4.5 | +0.5 pts |
| 26 | Hampton city Provisional | 4.4 | -0.1 pts |
| 27 | Lunenburg County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.2 pts |
| 27 | Smyth County Provisional | 4.3 | -0.2 pts |
| 29 | Accomack County Provisional | 4.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 29 | Bristol city Provisional | 4.2 | +0.4 pts |
| 29 | Lancaster County Provisional | 4.2 | 0 pts |
| 29 | Newport News city Provisional | 4.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 29 | Norfolk city Provisional | 4.2 | 0 pts |
| 34 | Alleghany County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.3 pts |
| 34 | Brunswick County Provisional | 4.1 | -1.3 pts |
| 34 | Harrisonburg city Provisional | 4.1 | 0 pts |
| 34 | Montgomery County Provisional | 4.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 34 | Richmond County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.3 pts |
| 34 | Scott County Provisional | 4.1 | +0.2 pts |
| 40 | Essex County Provisional | 4 | -0.2 pts |
| 40 | Mecklenburg County Provisional | 4 | +0.2 pts |
| 40 | Northampton County Provisional | 4 | +0.1 pts |
| 40 | Richmond city Provisional | 4 | +0.1 pts |
| 44 | Charlotte County Provisional | 3.9 | 0 pts |
| 44 | Fredericksburg city Provisional | 3.9 | 0 pts |
| 44 | Nottoway County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 44 | Pittsylvania County Provisional | 3.9 | -0.3 pts |
| 44 | Roanoke city Provisional | 3.9 | -0.1 pts |
| 49 | Buena Vista city Provisional | 3.8 | 0 pts |
| 49 | Charles City County Provisional | 3.8 | 0 pts |
| 49 | Colonial Heights city Provisional | 3.8 | +0.3 pts |
| 49 | Patrick County Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 49 | Pulaski County Provisional | 3.8 | -5.4 pts |
| 49 | Suffolk city Provisional | 3.8 | -0.1 pts |
| 49 | Winchester city Provisional | 3.8 | +0.3 pts |
| 56 | Dinwiddie County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.2 pts |
| 56 | Southampton County Provisional | 3.7 | -0.1 pts |
| 56 | Surry County Provisional | 3.7 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | Buckingham County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.2 pts |
| 59 | Caroline County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | Carroll County Provisional | 3.6 | -2.1 pts |
| 59 | Chesapeake city Provisional | 3.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | Craig County Provisional | 3.6 | -0.1 pts |
| 59 | Franklin County Provisional | 3.6 | 0 pts |
| 59 | Giles County Provisional | 3.6 | -2.7 pts |
| 59 | Henrico County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | James City County Provisional | 3.6 | 0 pts |
| 59 | Shenandoah County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | Stafford County Provisional | 3.6 | +0.1 pts |
| 59 | Sussex County Provisional | 3.6 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Amherst County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 71 | Campbell County Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Chesterfield County Provisional | 3.5 | +0.1 pts |
| 71 | Galax city Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Louisa County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.2 pts |
| 71 | Orange County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 71 | Page County Provisional | 3.5 | -0.1 pts |
| 71 | Salem city Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 71 | Spotsylvania County Provisional | 3.5 | 0 pts |
| 80 | Bedford County Provisional | 3.4 | 0 pts |
| 80 | Clarke County Provisional | 3.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 80 | Frederick County Provisional | 3.4 | +0.2 pts |
| 80 | Grayson County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.9 pts |
| 80 | Isle of Wight County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.1 pts |
| 80 | Mathews County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 80 | Middlesex County Provisional | 3.4 | +0.3 pts |
| 80 | Prince William County Provisional | 3.4 | 0 pts |
| 80 | Virginia Beach city Provisional | 3.4 | +0.1 pts |
| 80 | Washington County Provisional | 3.4 | -0.2 pts |
| 80 | Wythe County Provisional | 3.4 | -2.5 pts |
| 91 | Albemarle County Provisional | 3.3 | 0 pts |
| 91 | Appomattox County Provisional | 3.3 | 0 pts |
| 91 | Cumberland County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.3 pts |
| 91 | Fairfax County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.1 pts |
| 91 | Falls Church city Provisional | 3.3 | -0.7 pts |
| 91 | Goochland County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.3 pts |
| 91 | King and Queen County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.3 pts |
| 91 | King George County Provisional | 3.3 | +0.1 pts |
| 91 | Loudoun County Provisional | 3.3 | 0 pts |
| 91 | Warren County Provisional | 3.3 | -0.1 pts |
| 91 | York County Provisional | 3.3 | 0 pts |
| 102 | Amelia County Provisional | 3.2 | -0.3 pts |
| 102 | Culpeper County Provisional | 3.2 | 0 pts |
| 102 | Highland County Provisional | 3.2 | +0.6 pts |
| 102 | Manassas Park city Provisional | 3.2 | -0.1 pts |
| 102 | Nelson County Provisional | 3.2 | 0 pts |
| 102 | Poquoson city Provisional | 3.2 | +0.3 pts |
| 102 | Prince George County Provisional | 3.2 | +0.1 pts |
| 102 | Roanoke County Provisional | 3.2 | 0 pts |
| 110 | Bland County Provisional | 3.1 | -1.8 pts |
| 110 | Fairfax city Provisional | 3.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 110 | Floyd County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.5 pts |
| 110 | Fluvanna County Provisional | 3.1 | 0 pts |
| 110 | Manassas city Provisional | 3.1 | 0 pts |
| 110 | Rockbridge County Provisional | 3.1 | -0.1 pts |
| 110 | Waynesboro city Provisional | 3.1 | -0.3 pts |
| 117 | Alexandria city Provisional | 3 | -0.3 pts |
| 117 | Botetourt County Provisional | 3 | +0.1 pts |
| 117 | Charlottesville city Provisional | 3 | -0.1 pts |
| 117 | Hanover County Provisional | 3 | 0 pts |
| 117 | King William County Provisional | 3 | +0.1 pts |
| 117 | Madison County Provisional | 3 | 0 pts |
| 117 | Rockingham County Provisional | 3 | 0 pts |
| 124 | Gloucester County Provisional | 2.9 | 0 pts |
| 124 | New Kent County Provisional | 2.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 124 | Powhatan County Provisional | 2.9 | +0.3 pts |
| 124 | Rappahannock County Provisional | 2.9 | 0 pts |
| 124 | Staunton city Provisional | 2.9 | -0.2 pts |
| 129 | Arlington County Provisional | 2.8 | -0.3 pts |
| 129 | Augusta County Provisional | 2.8 | 0 pts |
| 129 | Fauquier County Provisional | 2.8 | 0 pts |
| 129 | Greene County Provisional | 2.8 | 0 pts |
| 133 | Bath County Provisional | 2.5 | +0.1 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. 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 and counties. Other countries and the World: ILO modelled estimates published by the World Bank, aged 15 and over.
Survey-based. Available for Spain, regions, provinces, EU countries, US states and US counties, not Spanish municipalities. For municipalities use registered_unemployment_rate. US national and state rates are seasonally adjusted; county rates are not. Countries without a national or Eurostat series get the annual ILO modelled estimate, a model output rather than a survey result.
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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Local Area Unemployment Statistics: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/la/la.data.0.CurrentU25-29. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
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 using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"unemployment_rate","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=unemployment_rate&level=province&within=Virginia&limit=10
Questions
Which county has the highest unemployment rate?
Emporia city, with 7.6% in August 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Which county has the lowest unemployment rate?
Bath County, with 2.5% in August 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: unemployment rate by county, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved 2026-10-08.
Unemployment rate: other rankings
- Countries
- EU countries
- US states
- EU regions (NUTS 2)
- US counties
- Autonomous communities of Spain
- Provinces of Spain
- Regions of Germany (NUTS 2)
- Regions of France (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Italy (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Poland (NUTS 2)
- Regions of Greece (NUTS 2)
Counties in Virginia: more rankings
- Asian population share
- Bachelor's degree or higher, population 25 and over
- Live births, July to June
- Black or African American population share
- Crude birth rate, July to June
- Crude death rate, July to June
- Deaths, July to June
- Foreign-born population share
- Real GDP growth
- GDP per capita, US dollars
- Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars
- Hispanic or Latino population share
- Homeownership rate (US, housing units)
- Median age
- Median gross rent (monthly)
- Median home value