Unemployment rates rise in Virginia metro areas

Unemployment rose in May in Virginia’s metro areas as more people entered the labor market statewide.

The May local jobless rates, which are not seasonally adjusted, ranged from 4.4 percent in Northern Virginia to 8 percent in the Danville area, according to the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC).

In late June, VEC reported that the state’s labor force had increased in May for the second consecutive month, with more people working or looking for work. The rising work force increased the commonwealth’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May to 5.3 percent from 5.2 percent in April.

A seasonally adjusted rate takes into account seasonal fluctuations in the work force. By contrast, the unadjusted figure for Virginia in May was 5.6 percent, up from 5 percent in April.

Several metro areas saw their unemployment rates rise by the same six tenths of a percentage point margin in May.

Here is a breakdown:

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: 6.1 percent in May, up from 5.2 percent in April.
Charlottesville: 5 percent, up from 4.1 percent.
Danville: 8 percent, up from 7.4 percent.
Harrisonburg: 5.7 percent, up from 4.6 percent.
Bristol: 7.1 percent, up from 7 percent.
Lynchburg: 6.4 percent, up from 5.5 percent.
Richmond: 6 percent, up from 5.4 percent.
Roanoke: 5.9 percent, up from 5.3 percent.
Hampton Roads: 6.1 percent, up from 5.4 percent.
Northern Virginia: 4.4 percent, up from 3.8 percent.
Winchester: 5 percent, up from 4.6 percent.