The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed in February stood at the third lowest level over the past year, according to new state data.
That may be little consolation to the nearly 5,000 county residents seeking jobs, however — and it doesn’t count those who have left the labor force entirely over the last year.
A total of 4,864 county residents were listed as seeking jobs out of a total civilian labor force of 150,825, according to data reported April 29 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
That labor force itself is smaller than it was a year ago. In February, there were 615 more Arlingtonians counted as unemployed than a year before, but 4,116 fewer residents counted as holding down jobs.
Total employment decreased by 384 people between January and February alone. The labor force in February was at its lowest point in the past year.
Still, the data has some bright spots.
For the year ending in February, only December (4,676) and September (4,836) had fewer county residents seeking work, according to the report. The highest post-Covid total came last July, with 5,500 county residents in need of jobs.
The county’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February stood at 3.2%, down from 3.4% in January but up from 2.8% in February 2025, when 4,249 residents were counted as seeking jobs.
As early as last February, the local workforce was seeing impacts of the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts. The number of unemployed stood at 3,067 countywide in the last full month of the Biden administration — December 2024 — and has risen nearly 59% since.
The numbers may not tell the whole story, as some county residents may have seen unemployment benefits expire, voluntarily dropped out of the workforce or moved out of the county or broader local area after being unable to find work.
In Falls Church, the 325 residents counted as unemployed in February marked a 25% increase from 259 a year before. During the same period, the city’s unemployment rate grew from 3.1% to 4%.
In February, Fairfax County’s jobless rate of 3.7% was up from 3% a year before. In Alexandria, the jobless rate of 3.4% represented an increase from 2.9% in February 2025.
Across Northern Virginia as a whole, just under 65,000 residents were seeking work in February, up 20% from a year before. Northern Virginia’s unemployment rate grew from 3% in February 2025 to 3.7% in February 2026.
For the D.C. metro area as a whole, total employment declined by 119,000 year-over-year, more than triple any other metro area. About 32,000 job declines came among those in Northern Virginia.
The February state data was reported just two weeks after January’s jobs figures posted. Since last fall, there have been reporting lags due to residual impacts from the seven-week shutdown of the federal government.
February 2026 figures are preliminary and subject to revision.
Unemployment higher at national level
Nationally, February jobless rates were higher year-over-year in 236 of 387 metropolitan areas, lower in 110 and unchanged in 41, according to data reported by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The national unemployment rate in February was 4.7%, non-seasonally adjusted, up from 4.5% a year earlier.
In February, Honolulu had the lowest unemployment rate among all metro areas at 2.2%. El Centro, Calif., had the highest rate, at 17.6%
Honolulu also had the lowest jobless rate among the 56 metro areas with populations of a million or more. Fresno, Calif., had the highest, at 9.1%.
The 119,000 decline in jobs across the D.C. region year over year was by far the highest nationally in February, in terms of raw numbers. But on a percentage basis, the 3.5% decline ranked behind Yuma, Ariz. (down 5%) and Sierra Vista, Ariz. (down 4.6%).
