Fairfax County recorded a 10% year-over-year increase in the number of residents counted as unemployed in June, according to new state data.
With 611,867 residents in the civilian workforce and 22,888 looking for jobs, the county’s non seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 3.6%.
Figures were reported July 29 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
A year before, the county’s jobless rate was 3.2%, with 630,645 employed and 20,803 looking for jobs.
Trump administration cuts to the federal workforce, and their resulting impact across the local economy, continue to hit jobless figures.
In Fairfax County, the number of unemployed in June 2026 was up 49% from the 15,275 counted as seeking jobs in December 2024, the last full month of the Biden administration.
Neighboring jurisdictions also see jobless jumps
In the City of Fairfax, June’s unemployment rate of 3.3% represented 13,890 employed and 475 seeking work — the highest number of unemployed since the 477 recorded in February.
A year before, the city’s jobless rate had been 3%.
In June, unemployment rates were up year over year in Arlington (to 3.1%), Alexandria (also 3.1%) and Falls Church (3.6%).
Northern Virginia’s June 2026 unemployment rate of 3.6% represented about 1.67 million in the civilian workforce and 61,600 looking for jobs. A year ago, the jobless rate had stood at 3.2%.
Over the past year, the total workforce — employed and seeking work — has declined 2.6% across Northern Virginia. Some residents have moved out, others departed the labor force for retirement or jobs that do not show up on the monthly reports, including self-employment.
Statewide, June’s jobless rate was 3.9%, representing 4.31 million with jobs and about 172,700 seeking them. A year ago, the rate was 3.5%.
Figures represent non seasonally adjusted employment data. June 2026 figures are preliminary and are subject to revision.
Metro area’s jobless rate rises to 4.1%
For the D.C. metropolitan area, June’s jobless rate of 4.1% represented 3.46 million with jobs in the civilian workforce and about 140,000 seeking work.
The region’s jobless rate was up from 3.9% in June 2025, according to figures reported July 29 by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Unemployment rates were higher in June than a year earlier in 184 of the 387 metropolitan areas, lower in 178 and unchanged in 25, according to the new figures reported by federal officials.
The national jobless rate in June was 4.4%, essentially unchanged from a year before.
In June, Sioux Falls, S.D., had the lowest unemployment rate among metro areas, at 1.9%, followed by Rapid City, S.D., at 2%. El Centro, Calif., had the highest rate, at 17.6%.
Of the 56 metro areas with populations of a million or more, the lowest jobless rates were reported in Raleigh, N.C., and Honolulu, at 3.1% each. The highest was found in Fresno, Calif., at 7.7%.
Among all 387 metro areas, 15 had jobless rates of less than 3%, with seven reporting rates of 8% or more.
Among all metro areas, the decline in nonfarm employment year over year was highest in the D.C. region, with a drop of 2.4%. It was followed by Portland, Ore., with a decline of 2.1%.
The largest year-over-year increases in nonfarm employment were reported in the Las Vegas (+2.9%), Salt Lake City (+2.7%) and Raleigh (+2.6%) metro areas.
