The local economy of Virginia and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.6%
+0.3 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Bath County 2.5%, highest Emporia city 7.6%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,665
+4.0%vs a year ago
4,118,739 jobs at 324,758 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
37,520
+25.9%this year vs last year
Most in Fairfax County 3,280, Richmond (Independent City) 3,159.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+1,290
+0.2 per 1,000residents
242,523 moved in and 241,233 moved out. Most newcomers came from Maryland.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Virginia gas price
$4.20
+$1.23vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Pulaski County $3.97, highest Highland County $4.35. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Virginia, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
211K
+0.8%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
3.58M
+2.5%vs 2022
Largest sector: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (15.0%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$251.0B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$70,069
Highest sector: Information $139,665.
Per employee per year
Share of Virginia's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 299,357 | $23,224 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 204,399 | $118,876 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 112,289 | $80,932 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 109,940 | $112,926 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 97,043 | $115,083 |
| Grocery Stores | 86,092 | $28,462 |
| Employment Services | 85,857 | $62,924 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 85,320 | $107,518 |
| Offices of Physicians | 74,587 | $109,700 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 72,585 | $36,965 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 67,365 | $29,470 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 64,344 | $73,113 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Virginia, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Virginia is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Virginia, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Virginia was 3.6% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.3% a year earlier. 4,304,756 people were employed out of a labor force of 4,465,164. Among its counties, Bath County had the lowest rate (2.5%) and Emporia city the highest (7.6%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Virginia was $1,665 in Q1 2026, up 4.0% from a year earlier, across 4,118,739 jobs at 324,758 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 4,366 new homes in Virginia in August 2026 (1,897 single-family and 2,404 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 28,600, up 25.9% from the same months last year, and 37,520 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Fairfax County (3,280), Richmond (Independent City) (3,159), Chesterfield County (3,144) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 242,523 people moved to Virginia and 241,233 moved away, a net gain of 1,290 (+0.2 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, and most people who left went to North Carolina, Florida, Maryland.
Regular gasoline in Virginia averaged $4.20 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.23 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.23. Among its counties, Pulaski County had the lowest regular price ($3.97) and Highland County the highest ($4.35).
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (536,441 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (488,231 employees), Retail Trade (423,568 employees) were the largest sectors in Virginia in 2023. In all, 210,842 business locations employed 3,581,650 people at an average pay of $70,069 a year.