Workforce
Workforce
Virginia is an employer-friendly state with a "Right to Work" labor structure.
Virginia Beach is among the 40 largest cities in the U.S., with a population of 450,000 and a regional population of 1.73 million.
While a low cost of doing business may be attractive, it is the highly skilled workforce, enhanced by thousands of military personnel and college or university graduates who enter the workforce on an annual basis, and multiple internationally renowned research and development centers that truly make Virginia Beach the best place to do business.
Finding Talent
Young professionals are a key part of the community in Virginia Beach, not just because of the large military presence here, but also due to the excellent higher education system that exists.
Over fifty percent of the City of Virginia Beach's annual budget funds public education with the Virginia Beach City Public Schools, the key to establishing a continuous supply of a highly skilled emerging workforce. Based on the Department of Defense statistics, approximately 14,000 members of the military are available to enter the local workforce each year, along with more than 13,000 graduating college students and 18,222 graduating high school students (Source: NCES). Learn more about our regional talent and available workforce programs.
Virginia Beach is a highly desirable location for the highly skilled, highly paid, high-tech workforce.
Virginia Beach's Workforce
Civilian Workforce Statistics
| VIRGINIA BEACH | MSA | |
|---|---|---|
| Civilian workforce | 240,543 | 866,318 |
| Employed | 233,469 | 838,170 |
| Unemployed | 7,074 | 28,148 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 3.2% |
Source: Virginia Employment Commission, September 2024, Virginia Beach MSA Employment by Occupational Group
Additional Workforce
| Exiting active-duty military personnel | 14,000 annually |
| Military family members | 123,116 |
| High school graduates (Virginia Beach) | 4,989 annually |
| High school graduates (Region) | 18,222 |
| College graduates | 13,000 annually |
Source: Hampton Roads Alliance, Navy Fiscal Year 2021 Economic Impact Report, 2019-2020 Virginia Beach City Public Schools, State Council for Higher Education of Virginia, NCES
