How many jobs were added in Virginia last month?
Refreshed monthly
Virginia gained 7,800 jobs in September 2026, ranking it fourth among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 4,500 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+7.8K
month to month change in number of jobs (September 2026)
4th
rank among states in monthly job growth (September 2026)
September 2026's gain of 7,800 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Virginia. Monthly job growth was down from the 8,100 new jobs in August 2026.
During the latest five year period (October 2021 to September 2026), Virginia gained jobs in 41 out of 60 months. September 2026 had the 19th-highest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in February 2022 (+28,600) while job growth was weakest in October 2025 (-23,200).
There were 7,800 more jobs in September 2026 in Virginia than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, October 2021–September 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Virginia sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in September 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in September 2026 were health care and social assistance, other services, and construction. Health care and social assistance added 2,600 jobs. Other services gained 1,300 jobs, while construction added 1,200. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, accommodation and food services, and finance and insurance. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 800 jobs in September 2026, while accommodation and food services lost 500 jobs and finance and insurance lost 500 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 2,600 jobs during September 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Virginia (September 2026)
How has Virginia's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Virginia lost an average of 1,367 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 4,575, and the fourth-lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as fourth-lowest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 8,900 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 9,000 on average every month in 2015.
In 2025, Virginia lost an average of 1,400 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among nine metro areas primarily in Virginia during September 2026 ranged from a loss of 600 jobs in the Blacksburg, VA area to a gain of 2,700 jobs in the Virginia Beach, VA area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Virginia
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +2,700 | |
| 2. | +700 | |
| 3. | +400 | |
| 4. | +200 | |
| 5. | +200 | |
| 6. | +200 | |
| 7. | -500 | |
| 8. | -500 | |
| 9. | -600 | |
| 10. | -8,200 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
