Counties with the highest unemployment in Virginia

Written by:
Stacker
August 30, 2024
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Counties with the highest unemployment in Virginia

Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.

As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Virginia, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it's up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.

The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.

Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing."

To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Virginia.

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refrina // Shutterstock

#50. Culpeper County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,506 people (872 unemployed)

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#49. James City County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 38,797 people (1,273 unemployed)

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#48. Lancaster County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,852 people (201 unemployed)

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#47. Giles County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,280 people (281 unemployed)

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#46. Westmoreland County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,789 people (335 unemployed)

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#45. Wythe County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,422 people (491 unemployed)

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#44. Caroline County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,141 people (542 unemployed)

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#43. Orange County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,109 people (611 unemployed)

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#42. Franklin County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 27,542 people (947 unemployed)

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#41. Bedford County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 39,246 people (1,337 unemployed)

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#40. Stafford County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 78,551 people (2,641 unemployed)

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#39. Craig County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,405 people (83 unemployed)

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#38. Charles City County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,783 people (133 unemployed)

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#37. Lunenburg County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,358 people (190 unemployed)

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#36. Amelia County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,611 people (230 unemployed)

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#35. Accomack County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,562 people (575 unemployed)

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#34. Washington County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,746 people (942 unemployed)

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Regine Poirier // Shutterstock

#33. Spotsylvania County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 72,107 people (2,516 unemployed)

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#32. Cumberland County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: No change
- Total labor force: 4,926 people (177 unemployed)

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#31. Scott County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,317 people (340 unemployed)

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#30. Page County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,928 people (459 unemployed)

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#29. Amherst County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,094 people (538 unemployed)

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#28. Campbell County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 26,292 people (941 unemployed)

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Adam Mustafa // Shutterstock

#27. Montgomery County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 53,295 people (1,895 unemployed)

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#26. Essex County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,726 people (212 unemployed)

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#25. Dinwiddie County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 14,517 people (530 unemployed)

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#24. Bland County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,878 people (108 unemployed)

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#23. Charlotte County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Down 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,281 people (202 unemployed)

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Dan Kauffman // Shutterstock

#22. Northumberland County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,712 people (219 unemployed)

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#21. Greensville County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,318 people (169 unemployed)

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#20. Appomattox County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,279 people (282 unemployed)

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#19. Mecklenburg County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,492 people (524 unemployed)

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Lekali Studio // Shutterstock

#18. Prince George County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 3.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,248 people (636 unemployed)

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#17. Alleghany County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,327 people (256 unemployed)

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#16. Buckingham County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,732 people (268 unemployed)

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Wirestock Creators // Shutterstock

#15. Russell County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,834 people (434 unemployed)

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Nolichuckyjake // Shutterstock

#14. Smyth County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,848 people (549 unemployed)

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#13. Pittsylvania County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 30,579 people (1,215 unemployed)

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#12. Patrick County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,150 people (290 unemployed)

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#11. Carroll County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,513 people (511 unemployed)

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#10. Henry County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 23,938 people (991 unemployed)

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#9. Lee County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 8,231 people (351 unemployed)

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#8. Brunswick County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,058 people (282 unemployed)

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#7. Halifax County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 4.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,497 people (737 unemployed)

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#6. Sussex County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,873 people (193 unemployed)

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#5. Tazewell County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,126 people (752 unemployed)

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#4. Wise County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,555 people (643 unemployed)

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#3. Dickenson County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,640 people (243 unemployed)

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Lekali Studio // Shutterstock

#2. Prince Edward County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,306 people (542 unemployed)

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#1. Buchanan County

- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,268 people (340 unemployed)

This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.

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