The number of Fairfax County residents counted as unemployed rose 17% year-over-year in March, and was up 52% from two years before, according to new state data.
A total of 22,680 county residents were included in the ranks of unemployed for the month, according to figures reported May 19 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
That’s up from 19,376 in March 2025 and from 14,917 in March 2024.
March’s unemployment rate of 3.6% this March compared to 3% a year ago and 2.3% two years before.
The 2025-to-2026 growth in those counted as unemployed in Fairfax County was in line with those of its neighbors. Totals increased 11.4% in Arlington 11.5%, in Fairfax City, 14.8% in Alexandria and 14.9% in Falls Church, according to a FFXnow analysis of jobless data.
Across Northern Virginia as a whole, the number of residents counted as unemployed grew 15.6% to 62,518 year over year in March, according to figures reported by the federal government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The Northern Virginia unemployment rate of 3.6% in March was up from 3% a year before, according to BLS data.
Statewide, March’s jobless rate of 3.8% was up from 3.3% a year before, with about 4.32 million in the civilian workforce and just under 170,500 looking for work.
Across the entire D.C. metro area, March’s jobless rate of 4.1% was up from 3.6% a year before, with the number of people counted as unemployed — 142,151 — up 10.6%.
The D.C. region was one of 174 metro areas to see a year-over-year increase in joblessness, according to federal figures reported May 19.
Rates were lower in 172 metro areas and unchanged in 41, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with 25 areas having jobless rates of less than 3% and 10 areas with rates of more than 8%.
The national, non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in March was 4.3%, little changed from a year earlier.
In March, Rapid City, South Dakota, had the lowest unemployment rate, 2%, followed by Burlington, Vermont, and Honolulu at 2.2% each. El Centro, Calif., had the highest rate, at 16.9%.
The largest over-the-year unemployment rate increase in March occurred in Wildwood-The Villages, Florida (up 2.2 percentage points), with the largest decline recorded in Sandusky, Ohio (down 2 percentage points).
Statewide, March’s jobless rate of 3.8% was up from 3.3% a year before, with about 4.32 million in the civilian workforce and just under 170,500 looking for work.
All March 2026 figures are preliminary and are subject to revision.
Photo via Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
