RICHMOND, Va. (WVEC) -- Governor Northam said Thursday that Virginia's unemployment rate clocked in at 2.8% as of December 2018.
The seasonally-adjusted rate was down 0.8 percent from 2017 and continues to be the lowest rate since April 2001.
The number of people unemployed dropped, declining by 740 to 123,180.
“Virginia’s positive growth and low unemployment rate are encouraging, and our administration will remain focused on taking action to create good jobs and continue attracting high-growth industries to the Commonwealth by building upon the strong progress made over the course of the last year,” said Governor Northam. “The extended nature of the partial shutdown of the federal government poses a risk to that progress, and I urge Congressional leaders to end these impacts on our workers and our economy by coming to an agreement to open government immediately.”
Virginia has the lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate among the Southeast states and the third-best rate among the states east of the Mississippi River.
The Commonwealth is ranked seventh in the entire country for our unemployment rate alongside Minnesota and Nebraska.
