Jobless rates fall in Virginia metro areas

Unemployment fell in Virginia’s metro areas during September.

The Virginia Employment Commission reported this week that the commonwealth’s 11 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) saw jobless rates decline by three-tenths to half of a percentage point during the month.

The VEC numbers were not seasonally adjusted. That means they do not take into account seasonal fluctuations in the labor force.

The biggest drop occurred in the Charlottesville area, where unemployment fell from 2.9 to 2.4 percent in September.

Charlottesville was one of eight Virginia MSAs with jobless rates under 3 percent during the month. The lowest unemployment rate, 2.3 percent, was recorded in Northern Virginia.

The highest metro unemployment rate was only 3.1 percent, a figure reported in the Lynchburg area and Hampton Roads.

The U.S. unemployment rate, using statistics that aren’t seasonally adjusted, was 3.6 percent in September. The Virginia rate was 2.8 percent.

A breakdown of the VEC numbers show:

Bristol: 3 percent in September, down from 3.4 percent in August.
Charlottesville: 2.4 percent, down from 2.9 percent.
Hampton Roads: 3.1. percent, down from 3.4 percent.
Harrisonburg: 2.7 percent, down from 3.1 percent.
Lynchburg: 3.1 percent, down from 3.5 percent.
New River Valley, 2.9 percent, down from 3.3 percent.
Northern Virginia: 2.3 percent, down from 2.6 percent.
Richmond 2.9 percent, down from 3.2 percent.
Roanoke: 2.7 percent, down from 3.1 percent.
Staunton-Waynesboro: 2.5 percent, down from 2.9 percent.
Winchester: 2.4 percent, down from 2.7 percent.