Fairfax County’s jobless rate in June was up slightly from May but down from a year before, according to new figures.
With 655,498 county residents in the civilian workforce and 16,495 looking for jobs, the county’s unemployment rate of 2.5 percent in June was up two ticks from 2.3 percent a month before but down from 2.6 percent in June 2022, according to figures reported Aug. 2 by the Virginia Employment Commission.
The county’s month-over-month performance was typical of most of Northern Virginia, where jobless rates either were flat, or slightly higher, compared to May.
June’s unemployment rates stood at 2.1 percent in Arlington, up from 2 percent a month before; 2.2 percent in Alexandria, up from 2.1 percent; 2.3 percent in Falls Church, up from 2.2 percent; 2.5 percent in Loudoun County, up from 2.4 percent; and 2.6 percent in Prince William County, unchanged.
In each of those jurisdictions, year-over-year jobless rates either were down from June 2022 or saw no change.
For the Northern Virginia region as a whole, the jobless rate of 2.5 percent, up from 2.4 percent in May and down from 2.6 percent a year before, represented 1,730,689 in the civilian workforce and 44,234 looking for jobs.
Among Virginia cities and counties, Alexandria and Falls Church posted the lowest jobless rates after Highland and Arlington counties, while Galax (5%) and the cities of Lexington and Petersburg (4.8%) had the highest rates.
A total of 63 Virginia cities and counties had unemployment rates of 3 percent or less during the month, with 17 at 4 percent or more.
Statewide, Virginia’s jobless rate was 2.8 percent in June, up from 2.7 percent a month before but down from 2.9 percent a year previously. The national rate was 3.8 percent, up from 3.4 percent in May and unchanged from a year before.
D.C. Region Sees Lower Year-Over-Year Joblessness: The Washington region was among 222 of the nation’s 389 metropolitan areas to see year-over-year declines in joblessness in June, according to new federal data.
With 3,529,816 in the civilian workforce and 88,036 looking for jobs, the region’s June unemployment rate of 2.5 percent was down a tick from 2.6 percent in May and down from 3.3 percent in June 2022.
Figures were reported Aug. 2 by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While a significant percentage of U.S. metro areas continue to see lower-year-over year joblessness, 119 of the 389 posted an increase while an additional 48 were stalled with no change.
A total of 220 metro areas recorded jobless rates in June that were below the national, non-seasonally-adjusted rate of 3.8 percent, with 152 areas above it and 17 equal to it.
Among all metro areas, four – Baltimore; Manchester and Portsmouth, each in New Hampshire; and Sioux Falls, S.D. – shared the lowest jobless rate for the month, at 1.7 percent. El Centro, Calif., posted the highest, at 16.9 percent.
Among metro areas with populations of a million or more, Baltimore brought home the lowest jobless rate, with Las Vegas (6%) the highest.
Across Virginia, the unemployment rate of 2.8 percent in June was up slightly from 2.7 percent a month before but down a tick from 2.9 percent a year ago. The lowest jobless rates among Virginia metro areas stood at 2.7 percent in Charlottesville and in Staunton-Waynesboro, with the highest rate of 3.5 percent recorded in Lynchburg.
In terms of payroll employment, totals were up in 105 metro areas from a year before, down in one and essentially unchanged in the remaining 283.
In raw numbers, the biggest year-over-year employment gain was found in New York City (+263,600), Dallas-Fort Worth (+205,000) and Los Angeles (+146,400). The biggest percentage gainers were Midland, Texas (+8.3%); Odessa, Texas (+6.7%); and Charleston, S.C. (+6.3%).
