Average year-over-year weekly wages in Henrico up nearly 6%
Average weekly wages in Henrico County climbed by nearly 6% during the first quarter of 2026 when compared with the same quarter of 2025, outpacing wage growth statewide and nationally even as employment in the county declined slightly, according to new federal data.
Henrico's average weekly wage reached $1,623 during the first three months of this year, up 5.9% from the first quarter of last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That increase exceeded the 4% wage growth recorded statewide and the 3.9% increase nationally during the same period.
Henrico's wages also rose sharply from the final three months of 2025. The county's average weekly wage increased from $1,448 in the fourth quarter to $1,623 in the first quarter of 2026 – a $175, or 12.1%, increase.
That quarterly increase was more than twice Virginia's. The statewide average rose from $1,585 to $1,665, or about 5%.
Henrico also outpaced most of its Richmond-area neighbors in average weekly wages from the last quarter of 2025 to the first quarter this year. Richmond's average weekly wage increased about 8.2% from the fourth quarter to the first, from $1,727 to $1,868, while Chesterfield County's increased about 1.5%, from $1,266 to $1,285.
Average weekly wages declined during the same period in Hanover, Powhatan, Charles City and New Kent counties.
Quarter-to-quarter wage figures can fluctuate significantly, however, and the BLS county figures are not seasonally adjusted. For that reason, economists prefer year-over-year comparisons as a better measure of underlying wage trends.
By that measure, Henrico still performed strongly.
Among Virginia's large localities with published year-over-year wage-change data, Henrico's 5.9% increase ranked fifth. Newport News led with a 12.3% increase, followed by Arlington County at 8.8%, Chesterfield at 6.7% and Alexandria at 6.1%. Richmond's average weekly wage increased 4.8%.
Despite Henrico's relatively strong growth, its $1,623 average weekly wage remained slightly below Virginia's $1,665 and the national average of $1,654.
Jobs decline slightly
The wage increase also came as the number of jobs based in Henrico declined slightly.
The county had 190,691 covered jobs in March, down 0.4% from March 2025. Virginia employment declined 0.2% during the same period, while employment nationally increased 0.1%.
Henrico's job count also was down from 193,895 in December 2025, though quarterly employment figures similarly can be affected by seasonal patterns.
The figures come from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, which measures employment and wages for workers covered by state unemployment insurance programs and federal employees.
The first-quarter 2026 figures are preliminary.
