Workforce

Companies in the Roanoke Valley draw workers from a 60-mile radius, which includes a civilian labor force of more than 340,000. The unemployment rate in that area (May 2008) is 4.4%, with 14,937 people unemployed. The broader region also features a large group of underemployed people—more than 28,000.

The diverse employment base includes a large manufacturing sector, and the region's education and training opportunities provide the tools to make our workers among the best.

More than 19,000 people commute into the region for work everyday, according to the 2000 US Census. The Valley's labor draw area includes Alleghany County and the City of Covington; Rockbridge County and the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista; Bedford County and the City of Bedford; Henry and Patrick counties and the City of Martinsville; and Montgomery, Pulaski and Floyd counties and the City of Radford.