Number of jobless Arlington residents up 50% since start of Trump administration

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Last edited Thu May 21, 2026, 08:14 PM - Edit history (1)

News
Number of jobless Arlington residents up 50% since start of Trump administration

By Scott McCaffrey
Published May 21, 2026 at 3:45PM


Job seekers at a Crystal City career fair (file photo by Jay Westcott)
The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed is up 11.4% year-over-year and has increased 50% since the start of the Trump administration, according to new state data.

A total of 4,814 county residents were looking for work in March, according to figures reported May 19 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s up from 4,358 a year before and up from 3,212 in December 2024, the last full month of the Biden administration.

The county’s unemployment rate grew from 2.1% in December 2024 to 2.8% in March 2025, to 3.2% in March 2026 as the Trump White House took an ax to the federal workforce.

Arlington’s year-over-year rise in unemployment was roughly in line with that of its neighbors. Totals increased 14.8% in Alexandria, 14.9% in Falls Church and 17% in Fairfax County.

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