How many jobs were added in Virginia last month?
Refreshed monthly
Virginia gained 5,600 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 10th 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 4,200 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
+5.6K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
10th
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
Virginia’s job gain of 5,600 in August 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was up from the 7,100 loss in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), Virginia gained jobs in 40 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 25th-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 5,600 more jobs in August 2026 in Virginia than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Virginia sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, construction, and retail trade. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 2,600 jobs, more than the entire economy. Construction gained 2,400 jobs, while retail trade added 1,800. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were local government, health care and social assistance, and finance and insurance. Local government lost 2,500 jobs in August 2026, while health care and social assistance lost 1,100 jobs and finance and insurance lost 1,000 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector lost 1,100 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Virginia (August 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 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 August 2026 ranged from a loss of 300 jobs in the Charlottesville, VA area to a gain of 1,100 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. | +1,100 | |
| 2. | +200 | |
| 3. | +200 | |
| 4. | +200 | |
| 5. | +0 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | +0 | |
| 8. | -100 | |
| 9. | -300 | |
| 10. | -11,200 |
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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.
