Virginia metro jobless rates fall

Unemployment rates fell in Virginia’s metro areas during April.

The Virginia Employment Commission reported on Wednesday that jobless rates dropped from one half to eight tenths of a percentage point in the commonwealth’s 11 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

All the MSAs had unemployment numbers of less than 3% in April

The biggest drop occurred in the Bristol area, down 0.8% from its March rate.

VEC rates were not seasonally adjusted, meaning they did not take into account seasonal fluctuations in the labor force.

Using that yardstick, Virginia’s unemployment rate stood at 2.5% in April, down from 3% in March.

The MSA with the lowest jobless rate in April was Northern Virginia, 2.1%, followed by the Charlottesville area at 2.2%.

A breakdown of the numbers shows:

Bristol: 2.9% in April, down from 3.7% in April.
Charlottesville: 2.2%, down from 2.8%.
Hampton Roads: 2.8%, down from 3.3%.
Harrisonburg: 2.4%, down from 3%.
Lynchburg: 2.8%, down from 3.5%.
New River Valley: 2.5%, down from 3.2%.
Northern Virginia: 2.1%, down from 2.6%.
Richmond: 2.6%, down from 3.2%.
Roanoke: 2.5%, down from 3%.
Staunton-Waynesboro: 2.3%, down from 2.9%.
Winchester: 2.3%, down from 2.8%.