Unemployment among city residents rose by one-third year over year to start 2026, according to new state data.
A total of 3,656 Alexandria residents were reported as seeking jobs in January, according to figures released April 16 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
That’s up 33.9% from the 2,731 seeking work in January 2025.
Alexandria’s increase was similar to that of Fairfax County, which saw a 33.8% rise in joblessness year over year.
Increases were higher in Arlington (up 54.7%) and Falls Church (54.9%).
Owing to the higher level of joblessness, the city’s unemployment rate grew from 2.7% in January 2025 to 3.7% in January 2026.
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% over 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 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 one 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.
