Jobless rates mixed in July

Unemployment rates in Virginia’s metro areas was mixed in July, according to figures released Wednesday by the Virginia Employment Commission.

Five of the commonwealth’s 11 metro areas saw their jobless rates drop during the month. Another four areas saw rising unemployment while two others were unchanged from June.

The unemployment numbers are not seasonally adjusted, meaning they do not take into account seasonal changes in the labor market.

Comparable figures for July were 5.4 percent for Virginia, unchanged from June, and 6.5 percent for the U.S., up two-tenths of a percentage point.

Three areas had unemployment rates under 5 percent: Northern Virginia, Winchester and Charlottesville. Northern Virginia had the lowest rate of the 11 metro areas: 4.3 percent in July, down two-tenths of a percentage point from June.

The Danville area in Southern Virginia continued to have the highest jobless rate, rising three-tenths of a percentage point to 8.1 percent in July.

A breakdown of the 11 metro areas for July shows:

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: 6.2 percent, up from 6.1 percent.
Bristol: 7.3 percent, up from 6.9 percent.
Charlottesville: 4.8 percent,  down from 4.9 percent.
Danville: 8.1 percent, up from 7.8 percent.
Hampton Roads: 5.8 percent, down from 5.9 percent.
Harrisonburg: 5.6 percent, unchanged.
Lynchburg: 6.3 percent, down from 6.4 percent.
Northern Virginia: 4.3 percent, down from 4.5 percent.
Richmond: 5.7 percent, unchanged.
Roanoke: 5.5 percent, down from 5.7 percent.
Winchester: 4.8 percent, up from 4.7 percent.