James City and York Counties’ unemployment rates remained under the state and national average for the first quarter of 2013, with the City of Williamsburg’s rate at close to double the state and national average.
In a Virginia Employment Commission breakdown of unemployment rates for the first quarter, Virginia tied with Iowa for the 8th lowest unemployment rate in the U.S. in March. The national unemployment rate for March was 7.6 percent while Virginia’s unemployment rate was at 5.2 percent.
Unemployment in the Historic Triangle increased in the first quarter of this year compared to the last quarter of 2012. The City of Williamsburg’s unemployment was at 15.4 percent in January, 13.6 percent in February and 11.7 percent in March. James City County’s rates were at 6 percent, 5 percent and 4.4 percent in January, February and March, respectively; and York County saw rates of 5.3 percent, 5 percent and 4.5 percent.
In the last quarter of 2012, the Historic Triangle’s average unemployment rates were 12.23 percent in the City of Williamsburg, 4.33 percent in James City County and 4.57 percent in York County.
James City County fell to the 33rd locality in a ranking of unemployment numbers across the state, but returned to its December 2012 position as a locality with the 11th lowest unemployment in the state in March, tied with three other counties. York County and five other localities were tied at 15th. Williamsburg was at 133, followed only by the City of Martinsville, which has the highest unemployment in the state.
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