Northern Virginia’s jobless rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 2.3 percent in November, according to new data, as most jurisdictions outside of Prince William County saw relatively little change.
With 1,592,856 residents in the civilian workforce and 37,642 looking for jobs, the November unemployment rate stood at 2.3 percent, according to figures reported Dec. 30 by the Virginia Employment Commission.
That was down slightly from 2.5 percent a month before, and a significant decrease from the 5.2 percent recorded in November 2021.
Among major jurisdictions of the region:
• The month-over-month jobless rate in Alexandria was unchanged at 2.4 percent.
• The jobless rate in Arlington was unchanged at 1.9 percent.
• The unemployment rate in Fairfax County declined from 2.4 percent to 2.3 percent.
• The unemployment rate in Falls Church was steady at 1.8 percent.
• The jobless rate in Loudoun County was down from 2.2 percent to 2.1 percent.
• The unemployment rate in Prince William County was 2.6 percent, down from 2.9 percent.
Across Virginia as a whole, the jobless rate in November stood at 2.7 percent, down from 3 percent a month before and from 5.5 percent a year ago.
Among Virginia’s 133 cities and counties, the lowest jobless rates were found in Highland County (1.7 percent); Madison County and Falls Church (1.8 percent); and Arlington (1.9 percent). Eight jurisdictions reported rates of 2 percent.
On the other side of the coin, the highest rates were found in Petersburg (7.8 percent), Emporia (6 percent), and Hopewell and Martinsville (5.4 percent each).
Nationally, the non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in November was down from 4.3 percent a month before and 6.4 percent in November 2021.