Metro area unemployment rates fall

Unemployment rates in Virginia metro areas fell in September, according to data from the Virginia Employment Commission.

The jobless numbers, which are not seasonally adjusted, fell in all 11 metropolitan statistical areas tracked by the VEC.

The most dramatic declines occurred in the Danville and Bristol areas, where unemployment dropped by 1.1 percentage points.

The smallest decrease was found in the Winchester area, down three-tenths of a percentage point.

Northern Virginia continued to post the lowest jobless rate among the metro areas, 4.3 percent. The Danville area had the highest rate, 7.2 percent.

In addition to Northern Virginia, Charlottesville and Winchester also had rates below 5 percent.

A breakdown on the metro areas shows:

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: 5.4 percent in September, down from 6.2 percent in August.
Bristol: 6.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent.
Charlottesville: 4.5 percent, down from 5.1 percent.
Danville: 7.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent.
Hampton Roads: 5.6 percent, down from 6.1 percent.
Harrisonburg: 5 percent, down from 5.5 percent.
Lynchburg: 5.9 percent, down from 6.6 percent.
Richmond: 5.5 percent, down from 6.1 percent.
Roanoke: 5.4 percent, down from 6.1 percent.
Winchester: 4.8 percent, down from 5.1 percent.

Because the figures are not seasonally adjusted they do not take into account seasonal fluctuations in the labor market.