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County Employment and Wages in Virginia — First Quarter 2025
Employment rose in 7 of the 11 largest counties in Virginia with published data from March 2024 to March 2025, 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, with a gain of 3.4 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Virginia, March 2025
County
Percent change, March 2025
Loudoun
3.4
Chesterfield
2.5
Fairfax
1.3
Henrico
0.9
Prince William
0.6
Alexandria City
0.2
Richmond City
0.2
Norfolk City
-0.3
Chesapeake City
-0.8
Virginia Beach City
-0.9
Newport News City
-1.2
Among the 12 largest counties in Virginia, employment was highest in Fairfax (638,100) in March 2025. Together, the 12 largest counties accounted for 55.2 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 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 2024.)
Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025
Ten of the eleven large Virginia counties with published data reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Richmond City had the largest gain (+6.0 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Virginia’s other ten large counties ranged from 4.7 percent to -0.2 percent.
Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Virginia, first quarter 2025
County
Percent change, first quarter 2025
Richmond City
6.0
Loudoun
4.7
Alexandria City
3.7
Norfolk City
3.5
Virginia Beach City
3.5
Henrico
3.4
Prince William
2.7
Chesapeake City
2.5
Newport News City
1.0
Fairfax
0.4
Chesterfield
-0.2
Weekly wages in 5 of the 12 largest counties in Virginia were above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,627 in Arlington to $1,165 in Chesapeake City.
Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025
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 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 115 of the 121 smaller counties were below the national average. Goochland reported the highest average weekly wage ($3,164). Patrick reported the lowest average weekly wage ($756) in the commonwealth.
Among all 133 Virginia counties, 24 reported average weekly wages of less than $900, 52 registered wages from $900 to $1,074, 23 had wages from $1,075 to $1,249, and 34 had average weekly wages of $1,250 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)
Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Virginia, first quarter 2025
(U.S. average = $1,589)
1,734
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 second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases
Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.
Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 12 largest counties in Virginia, first quarter 2025
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, first quarter 2025
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, first quarter 2025
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
