This article is a product of Petersburg Scope – a new publication providing news for Petersburg and Colonial Heights.
Petersburg has the highest rate of unemployment in the state of Virginia at 15.4%. The rate actually dropped from 15.7% the month prior, according to data released today by the Virginia Employment Commission and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The drop is the result of 89 fewer people applying for unemployment benefits – even though the total number of people employed in Petersburg dropped by 186. The latest report shows a 10-point increase comparing September of 2019 and 2020 for the city.
The Colonial Heights’ unemployment rate dropped from 7.3% in August to 7.0% in September. However, even though fewer people in the city filed for unemployment in September, there were also fewer people working.
644 people filed for unemployment in August, and only 607 people filed in September. The number of active employees in the labor force dropped from 8,162 in August down to 8,023 in September.
The rate of unemployment in Colonial Heights in September of 2019 was only 3%, with 8,610 residents employed.
The lowest unemployment rates in the state in Highland and Madison Counties reported 3.4%.
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