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Fairfax County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.6% in June, up from 3.2% a year earlier, according to preliminary data reported by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The county had 22,888 residents counted as unemployed in June 2026. That was a 10% increase from the number reported a year earlier, according to the comparison published by FFXnow on Aug. 4.
The June figures were preliminary and non-seasonally adjusted, meaning they may be revised. The data were reported July 29.
Unemployment also increased across the broader region. Northern Virginia’s rate reached 3.6% in June, compared with 3.2% in June 2025. The Washington metropolitan area’s rate rose to 4.1%, up from 3.9% a year earlier.
Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.9% in June, compared with 3.5% in June 2025. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 4.4%, essentially unchanged from a year earlier.
The regional employment picture also included a decline in Washington metropolitan nonfarm employment. The article reported that the metro area had the largest year-over-year decline among metropolitan areas, at 2.4%.
The figures offer a snapshot of unemployment in Fairfax County and the surrounding region but do not establish why local joblessness increased. The available comparison also noted that Fairfax County had 15,275 residents seeking work in December 2024.