Roanoke, Virginia Unemployment
The BLS reported that the unemployment rate for Roanoke rose 0.1 percentage points in September 2023 to 2.8%. For the same month, the metro unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points higher than the Virginia rate. The unemployment rate in Roanoke peaked in April 2020 at 11.1% and is now 8.3 percentage points lower. From a post peak low of 2.6% in February 2022, the unemployment rate has now grown by 0.2 percentage points. You can also compare Roanoke unemployment with unemployment in other cities.
| Unemployment Rate | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 3.8% | 0.0 | +0.3 |
| Virginia | 2.5% | 0.0 | -0.5 |
| Roanoke | 2.8% | +0.1 | -0.3 |
Unemployment Rate: Roanoke, Virginia, National
Note: Recessions shown in gray.
Roanoke, Virginia Unemployed
The number of people unemployed in Roanoke peaked in April 2020 at 17,123. There are now 12,594 fewer people unemployed in the metropolitan area. From a recent trough of 4,072 in March 2022, the number of unemployed has now grown by 457. Roanoke employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained in Roanoke, Virginia) is also available.
| Unemployed Persons | September 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roanoke | 4,529 | +126 | -335 |
Number of Unemployed Persons
Roanoke, Virginia Unemployment History
| Date | National Unemployment Rate |
Virginia Unemployment Rate |
Roanoke Unemployment Rate |
Roanoke Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 |
3.9% | 2.7% | — | — |
| September 2023 |
3.8% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 4,529 |
| August 2023 |
3.8% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 4,403 |
| July 2023 |
3.5% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 4,378 |
| June 2023 |
3.6% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 4,488 |
| May 2023 |
3.7% | 2.9% | 2.8% | 4,570 |
| April 2023 |
3.4% | 3.1% | 2.9% | 4,656 |
| March 2023 |
3.5% | 3.2% | 2.9% | 4,733 |
| February 2023 |
3.6% | 3.2% | 3.0% | 4,828 |
| January 2023 |
3.4% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 4,900 |
| December 2022 |
3.5% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 4,874 |
| November 2022 |
3.6% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 4,895 |
1. Metro area unemployment rates are now seasonally adjusted. The BLS has started publishing smoothed seasonally adjusted metropolitan area data which makes comparisons to state and national data more relevant than the unadjusted numbers. ↩
Department of Numbers
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