How low can it go? Arlington’s jobless rate limbo’d back under 2 percent in April, part of a general decline in unemployment rates across Northern Virginia for the month.
With 150,189 in the civilian workforce and 2,889 looking for jobs, the county’s unemployment rate was 1.9 percent for the month, according to figures reported June 1 by the Virginia Employment Commission.
That rate was down from 2 percent in March and below the 3.1-percent rate that had been recorded in April 2021.
Across the region, jobless rates generally declined slightly from March to April, falling from 2 percent to 1.8 percent in Falls Church; from 2.2 percent to 2 percent in Loudoun County; from 2.3 percent to 2.2 percent in both Alexandria and Fairfax County; and from 2.6 percent to 2.4 percent in Prince William County.
Across Northern Virginia as a whole, April’s jobless rate of 2.2 percent was down from 2.3 percent a month before (and 3.6 percent a year ago), representing 1.61 million in the civilian workforce and 36,000 looking for jobs.
Across Virginia, the lowest unemployment rates for the month were turned in by Madison County and Falls Church (1.8% each) and Highland and Arlington counties (1.9% each). The highest rates were found in the cities of Petersburg (6.7%) and Emporia (5.1%).
Virginia’s jobless rate for the month was 2.5 percent, compared to a national rate of 3.3 percent. An even 100 of Virginia’s 133 cities and counties had jobless rates below 3 percent for the month.