September jobs data delayed by the federal government shutdown show a 34% year-over-year increase in Arlington residents reported as unemployed, with the rate increasing 54% in Falls Church.

A total of 148,251 county residents were reported employed in the civilian workforce in September, according to figures reported Dec. 18 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

A total of 4,837 Arlington residents were looking for jobs during the month. While down from 5,159 a month before in a typical seasonal pattern, the figure was up from 3,613 in September 2024.

The county’s non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 3.2% was up from 2.3% a year ago.

Arlington jobs data for past year (via Virginia Works)

In Falls Church, the news was similar: A total of 7,994 city residents were counted as working and 322 seeking jobs, compared to 8,180 and 209, respectively, in September 2024.

The city’s unemployment rate of 3.9% in September was up from 2.5% a year before.

Similar bumps up in those counted as unemployed were reported in Alexandria, up 33% year-over-year, and Fairfax County, up 24%.

Local, regional, state and national jobless figures normally are reported four or five weeks after the month in which figures are collected. The federal shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and lasted seven weeks, led to the lag in providing September data.

Federal officials do not plan to provide a report for October, but expect to deliver November’s data in early January.

Statewide, the September non-seasonally-adjusted jobless rate of 3.4% represented 4.35 million Virginians employed and just under 150,956 seeking jobs.

Though down from August, unemployment was up from 2.9% a year before, when the number of employed was calculated at 4.45 million, and those seeking work totaled slightly more than 133,000.

Falls Church jobs data for past year (via Virginia Works)

The outgoing Youngkin administration tried to put the data in a positive light.

“Virginia’s job market continues to demonstrate sustained strength, with more than 270,000 jobs added since this administration began,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) said in a statement accompanying the September figures. “Employment is rising, investment is accelerating, and opportunities continue to expand for Virginians.”

“Virginia’s long-term job growth remains solid,” Virginia Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater said. “Over the year, tens of thousands of Virginians have moved into jobs, and we will keep building on that progress by supporting workers, strengthening our talent pipelines, and ensuring every employer can find the skilled labor they need.”

One effort to support federal workers facing unemployment is an executive-coaching service being offered by the Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council.

The initiative is designed to provide displaced federal workers and contractors with skills assessments, new tools and access to training in order to make contacts and, if needed, a career pivot.

State funding supports 100 local slots, of which 24 have been filled, said the council’s executive director, David Remick.

Two of the participants already have found new jobs, while “many are still working on which way they need to point their compass to get to their next opportunity,” he said.

Speaking at the council’s Dec. 18 meeting, Remick acknowledged the uphill battle many are facing.

“It’s a very competitive marketplace right now,” he said. “We have seen some companies doing some mass layoffs in the area. Businesses are changing course.”

State unemployment data, September 2025 (via state government)
Metro area sees bump up in unemployment

A day before the state figures were released, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released metro-area jobless rates for September, also delayed by more than six weeks by the federal shutdown.

Across the Northern Virginia portion of the metro area, September’s jobless rate of 3.2% was up from 2.6% before and the number of those reported as unemployed (56,911) rose 21%.

In the D.C. region as a whole, the unemployment rate of 4.1% in September was up from 3% a year before, while the number of unemployed spiked 34% to 143,376. The increase was led by the District of Columbia itself, where the number of unemployed rose 39% year-over-year.

Nationally, year-over-year unemployment was up in 275 metro areas, down in 83 and unchanged in 29. Forty-five metro areas had jobless rates of less than 3%, while eight had rates of more than 8%.

Among all metro areas, the lowest rate was recorded in Sioux Falls, S.D., at 1.8%. The highest was found in El Centro, Calif., at 21.5%.

Among the 56 metro areas with populations of more than a million, the lowest jobless rate for the month was in Honolulu (2.2%) with the highest in Fresno (7.5%).

Nationally, the non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in September was 4.3%, up from 3.9% a year before.

September 2025 figures are preliminary and are subject to revision.