THE ROANOKE REGION OF VIRGINIA

The Roanoke MSA’s unemployment rate dropped from 8.4 percent in February to 8.2 percent in March – the first such drop since November 2009.

Our unemployment rate tracked with the state (7.6 percent) and national (10.2 percent) rates, which also dropped by two-tenths of a percentage point from February to March. The Charlottesville, Virginia Beach and Harrisonburg MSAs show lower unemployment rates than Roanoke, as does the Washington, DC metro area. While Lynchburg and Richmond saw a two-tenths of a percent drop, their rate is higher than Roanoke’s at 8.4 percent. The Blacksburg MSA’s unemployment rate rose from 9.1 percent to 9.5 percent.

The region continues to have a lower unemployment rate than many communities in the Southeast.