The number of jobless in Arlington rose 54.7% year-over-year in January, according to new state data.
A total of 5,148 county residents were reported as seeking jobs for the first month of 2026, up from 3,328 in January 2025.
Figures were reported April 16 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
During the period, the county’s non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose from 2.2% to 3.4% owing to federal-workforce cutbacks and their ripple effects across the regional economy.
Among Northern Virginia’s inner suburbs, Arlington trailed only Falls Church in the increase of residents seeking jobs, and only narrowly.
Falls Church saw a year-over-year increase of 54.9%, while Fairfax County was up 33.8% and Alexandria was up 33.9%.
Across Northern Virginia as a whole, the number of unemployed rose 30.9% to 64,087 in January, while the year-over-year unemployment rate increased from 2.8% to 3.7%. Since the start of the second Trump administration in January 2025, the largest number of Northern Virginia residents recorded as unemployed was 65,408 last November.
Across the D.C. metro area, the number of jobless grew 23.8% to 149,568 and the unemployment rate rose from 3.4% to 4.4% in a year. Statewide, the number of unemployed was up 18.7% to 173,934 and the unemployment rate grew from 3.2% to 3.9%.
State figures were released a day after federal unemployment data for metropolitan areas in January. Monthly reports at both the state and federal levels continue to be delayed owing to the impacts of last year’s seven-week federal-government shutdown.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, year-over-year jobless rates grew in 252 of the nation’s 387 metropolitan areas, decreased in 101 metro areas and were unchanged in 34. The national non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.7% from 4.4% a year before.
Among all metro areas, Honolulu recorded the lowest jobless rate for the month at 2.1%. The highest rate was reported in El Centro, Calif., at 18.6%.
Among the 56 metro areas with populations over a million, Honolulu had the lowest rate and Fresno, Calif., had the highest at 8.8%.
All January 2026 figures are preliminary and subject to revision.
