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County Employment and Wages in Virginia — Fourth Quarter 2024
Among the 11 counties with published data, employment rose in 8 of the largest counties in Virginia from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that Loudoun County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 3.6 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Virginia, December 2024
County
Percent change, December 2024
Loudoun
3.6
Prince William
2.1
Chesterfield
2.0
Richmond City
1.3
Fairfax
0.9
Henrico
0.6
Norfolk City
0.6
Alexandria City
0.4
Chesapeake City
-0.8
Virginia Beach City
-0.8
Newport News City
-0.9
Among the 12 largest counties in Virginia, employment was highest in Fairfax (642,000) in December 2024. Together, the 12 largest counties accounted for 55.3 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.)
Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2024
All 11 large Virginia counties with published data reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Richmond City had the largest gain (+6.9 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Virginia’s other ten large counties ranged from 5.3 percent to 0.5 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Virginia, fourth quarter 2024
County
Percent change, fourth quarter 2024
Richmond City
6.9
Norfolk City
5.3
Loudoun
4.8
Fairfax
4.7
Chesapeake City
4.2
Chesterfield
4.0
Alexandria City
4.0
Virginia Beach City
3.8
Henrico
3.3
Prince William
3.2
Newport News City
0.5
Weekly wages in 5 of the 12 largest counties in Virginia were above the national average of $1,507. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,468 in Arlington to $1,152 in Virginia Beach City.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2024
Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 121 small counties in Virginia, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 114 of the 121 smaller counties were below the national average. Goochland reported the highest average weekly wage ($2,172). Grayson reported the lowest average weekly wage ($767) in the state.
Among all 133 Virginia counties, 31 reported average weekly wages of $949 or less, 45 registered wages from $950 to $1,099, 26 had wages from $1,100 to $1,249, and 31 had average weekly wages of $1,250 or higher. (See map 1. and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Virginia, fourth quarter 2024
U.S. average = $1,507
Additional statistics and other information
QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
QCEW Moves to One Data Release Beginning with Fourth Quarter 2024 Publication
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is streamlining its release process. Beginning with the fourth quarter 2024 national release on June 4, QCEW will publish the national County Employment and Wages news release on the same date as the QCEW full data update. Revised news release dates are available online.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 12 largest counties in Virginia, fourth quarter 2024
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (5) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Virginia, fourth quarter 2024
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2024
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.
United States Department of Labor
