Roanoke Region Job Growth Outpacing Virginia Average
Roanoke Region employment levels reached 11-year highs in 2018.
Roanoke closed the year with the third highest rate of job growth in the state and a rate of growth exceeding state and national averages.
Total employment is up by 3,800 jobs from December 2017 to December 2018, an increase of 2.4 percent — the highest level of employment since 2006. Job growth rates in the Commonwealth and nation overall were both at 1.8 percent. Roanoke’s rate of growth is only slightly below leading metros Winchester and Charlottesville and exceeds the rate of growth experienced in most Virginia metro areas.
Employment gains were mainly in professional and business services, education and health, retail trade, leisure and hospitality, and wholesale trade.
The November 2018 rate of unemployment for the Roanoke Region (most recent available) is at its lowest level (2.6 percent) since 2001.Â
| Employment (thousands) | December 2018 | December 2017 | Change | Percent Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester | 66.4 | 64.5 | 1.9 | 2.9% |
| Charlottesville | 122.2 | 119.1 | 3.1 | 2.6% |
| Roanoke | 164.6 | 160.8 | 3.8 | 2.4% |
| Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford | 79.2 | 77.5 | 1.7 | 2.2% |
| Staunton-Waynesboro | 51.3 | 50.3 | 1 | 2.0% |
| Virginia | 4,049.6 | 3,976.6 | 73 | 1.8% |
| United States | 151,190 | 148,530 | 2,660 | 1.8% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News | 792.7 | 779.5 | 13.2 | 1.7% |
| Lynchburg | 107.1 | 105.3 | 1.8 | 1.7% |
| Richmond | 686.1 | 675.2 | 10.9 | 1.6% |
| Harrisonburg | 69.5 | 68.8 | 0.7 | 1.0% |
| Northern Virginia | 1,493.4 | 1,480.9 | 12.5 | 0.8% |