Va. reports 8% unemployment rate for July

Petersburg had highest rate; Highland County was lowest

Published September 2, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Despite the ongoing pandemic, Virginia’s unemployment rate was 2.5% lower than the national average for the month of July, according to statistics released by the Virginia Employment Commission on Wednesday.

For the month of July, the U.S. reported a 10.5% unemployment rate while Virginia reported an 8% unemployment rate, a 0.2% improvement from the month of June. 

Petersburg had the highest rate of unemployment among Virginia localities, reporting a 19.1% unemployment rate for July. Among Virginia regions, the Greensville/Emporia labor market reported the highest unemployment rate at 10.8%, while the Winchester area reported the lowest rate at 6.2%. 

Northern Virginia and Shenandoah Valley localities tended to fare better, while Central, Eastern and Southern Virginia reported higher unemployment rates  on the whole. 

The 10 highest unemployment rates reported in July were as follows:

• Petersburg, 19.1%
• Emporia, 15.1%
• Hopewell, 14.7%
• Martinsville, 14.5%
• Portsmouth, 13%
• Richmond, 12.3%
• Covington, 12.2%
• Norfolk, 11.9%
• Franklin, 11.9%
• Danville, 11.8%

The 10 lowest unemployment rates reported in July were as follows:

• Highland County, 4.2%
• Madison County, 4.5%
• Falls Church, 4.6%
• Poquoson, 5.1%
• Augusta County, 5.3%
• Botetourt County, 5.4%
• Rappahannock County, 5.4%
• King George County, 5.5%
• Mathews County, 5.6%
• Arlington County, 5.7%
• Clarke County, 5.7%
• Fauquier County, 5.7%
• Middlesex County, 5.7%

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