Richmond Metropolitan Area

Located in a deeply historic region, the Richmond metropolitan area, also known as Greater Richmond, has a population of about 1.2 million. The region includes thirteen counties:  Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, and Sussex. Cities in Virginia maintain their independence from county governance; the metro area has four major cities in Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights.

Traditionally a tobacco powerhouse, Richmond continues to support that industry while playing host to a diverse service sector plus manufacturing and finance giants. Key regional employers include CarMax, Genworth Financial, and Philip Morris USA. 

Spanning a broad area linked by heavily trafficked road corridors, the layout of the Richmond metropolitan area practically encourages commuting to work. While Richmond-based companies enjoy more opportunities to attract suitable employees, they must also scrutinize applicants more carefully, incorporating metro-ready background check policies. 

Shielding your business from liability and creating a safe work environment are critical roles that background checks can fulfil. However, to be effective, those checks must account for the specific challenges of working within a metro area with many different criminal justice systems. Examining only records held by the City of Richmond could mean mistakenly overlooking an applicant’s prior convictions in Dinwiddie County. To avoid such a scenario, examine the metro area as a whole with your background checks rather than piecemeal. 

As you revise your vetting procedures, take care to re-examine the fair hiring rules and regulations that apply to your business to ensure that you remain compliant. 

Virginia maintains no “ban the box” laws that apply to private employers in the state. During the hiring process, employers may ask about an applicant’s criminal history at any stage. Only sealed and expunged records are off limits. The state typically relies on federal legislation, such as the FCRA and Title VII, to govern fair hiring practices. 

Once you’ve developed compliant procedures, invest in the correct tools to power your responsible metro-wide background check policy. backgroundchecks.com is the ideal source for filling your HR team’s toolbox thanks to our range of products created for businesses like yours. 

For the Richmond metro area, including Amelia, Caroline, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, King William, New Kent, Powhatan, Prince George, Sussex, and the cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, and Hopewell, we provide easy access to in-depth searches of local courthouse records. To broaden your search to include the whole of Virginia, rely on our state-level background checks. For sensitive positions or for greater confidence, use the regional US OneSEARCH for results from as many as five states. 

Records gathered at the courthouse typically come from the Administrative Office of the Courts.  Background checks may also include information from Virginia’s Crimes Against Minors and sex offender registries. 

Doing business in the Richmond metro area opens many exciting possibilities for employers, including the chance to invest in long-term talent. As you evaluate prospective employees, ensure that each one will be a safe, dependable choice for your company with a refreshed and technology-fueled background check policy.