Overall unemployment rate moved down to 2.5% with the biggest shift in Government, which gained 4,000 roles, based on the most recently available information published in April 2022.
Total employment in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA market rose by 4,842 jobs in February and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 60 bps to 2.5%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 28 bps over the same time to 4.1%.
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA unemployment rate is 164 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
- Unemployment in the market is 190 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
- Average wages (per hour) declined in February versus prior month by -3.4% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 17.5% . Key sectors include:
- Government: 26,900; +4,000
Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through February 2022 (Data published April 2022 and reports created on April 6, 2022). Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.
Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.