Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.3% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 3,800 roles, based on the most recently available information published in August 2022.

Total employment in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC market rose by 5,674 jobs in June and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 10 bps to 3.3%. The national unemployment rate increased by 46 bps over the same time to 3.8%.

  • Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC unemployment rate is 54 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 180 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in June versus prior month by 12.8% and are up compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Unemployment June 2022

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 0.6% . Key sectors include:

  • Government: 151,500; -2,100
  • Transportation & Utilities: 129,300; +800
  • Business Services: 114,800; +400
  • Education & Healthcare: 112,000; +100
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 100,900; +3,800
  • Manufacturing: 55,600; -100
  • Construction, Mining: 40,000; +200
  • Financial Services: 38,900; +1,400
  • Other Jobs: 33,300; +100
  • IT & Development: 9,000; +100
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Unemployment by Industry June 2022

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through June 2022 (Data published August 2022 and reports created on August 3, 2022).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.