Do you know which job sectors are most prevalent in your local areas and affect the employment of your current and potential clients? While REALTORS^® know their local markets the best, read on to find out the top industries that employ the local renter/buyer population in various Virginia MSAs, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

As seen in Figure 1, the highest share of Virginia’s population is employed in the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector. The Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector ranks second. Retail trade jobs are the third most common type of job held by Virginians.

Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA Metro Area: About a third of the population in Blacksburg is employed in the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector, mostly owing to the presence of a major public university, Virginia Tech, in the area. The Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services sector, Manufacturing sector, and Retail Trade sectors employ another third of the metro area’s population.

Charlottesville, VA Metro Area: Like the Blacksburg metro area, Charlottesville’s employment is heavily influenced by the presence of the University of Virginia. Thirty-five percent of the Charlottesville area’s population works in the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector. The Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector employs the second highest number of people in the metro area.

Harrisonburg, VA Metro Area: In the Harrisonburg metro area, the population is well spread out among different industry sectors. The Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector, Manufacturing sector, and the Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services sectors are the top three employment sectors in the metro area.

Lynchburg, VA Metro Area: Like the Harrisonburg metro area, the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector, Manufacturing sector, and the Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, and Accommodation and Food Services sectors are the top three employment sectors in the Lynchburg, VA metro area.

Richmond, VA Metro Area: The Richmond metro area is home to a few universities and major healthcare systems. About one fourth of the total population works in the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector. This is followed by the Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector and the Retail Trade sector.

Roanoke, VA Metro Area: In Roanoke, the top three employment sectors are the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector, Retail Trade sector, and the Manufacturing sector. About half of the population in the Roanoke area is employed in these three industries.

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC Metro Area: The Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector is the biggest employer in the Virginia Beach metro area. The Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector ranks second. Due to the area being a major tourist destination, Retail Trade is the third largest employment sector for the metro area’s population.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area: The Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector employs one fourth of the metro area’s population. The Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector ranks second. Due to the prevalence of federal government, contracting, and related public sector jobs, the Public Administration sector employs the third highest share of population in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.

Winchester, VA-WV Metro Area: Half of the population in the Winchester metro area is employed in the Educational Services, Healthcare, and Social Assistance sector, the Professional, Scientific, Management, and Administrative and Waste Management Services sector, as well as the Manufacturing sector.

For more information on housing, demographic and economic trends in Virginia, be sure to check out Virginia REALTORS® other Economic Insights blogs and our Data page.