Workforce + Training

The Richmond Region is a magnet for talent, drawing young, diverse, educated talent from throughout the state universities as well as places like Washington, D.C., Baltimore and New York. A wide array of industries with numerous educational institutions provide an ample workforce with positive work attitudes and a range of skills and experience.

Education

Nearly 30 colleges and universities produce a steady stream of employees for new and expanding companies in fields including business, engineering, law, and medicine. Within 150 miles, there are more than 1.1 million higher education students.

The Richmond Region offers a highly educated workforce, with 90 percent of the population 25 and older holding a high school degree or higher, and 38 percent holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher, much higher than the national average.

• The Richmond Region offers a variety of educational resources to meet the education and training needs of any company.
• Award-winning K-12 public schools are supplemented by a variety of private and parochial schools.
• At the secondary level, career and technical programs, college prep, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs are available.
• A full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs are available.

Labor Statistics

With a workforce over 657,000, the Richmond Region has the talent ready to go to work for your company. About 50,000 veterans call the Richmond Region home, and the region’s talent is diverse with 39 percent of the population being non-white, much higher than the state or national average.

Historically, the Richmond Region has enjoyed low levels of unemployment. In recent years, the rates have remained at or below the national average.

	Richmond MSA	Virginia	USA
Civilian Labor Force	657,654	4,265,719	161,393,000
Employed	630,612	4,104,098	154,026,000
Unemployed	27,042	161,621	7,366,000
Unemployment Rate (%)	4.1	3.8	4.6

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2021 – Not Seasonally Adjusted