A quarterly survey of Northern Virginia business leaders shows an increasing level of concern about the near-term future of the region’s economy.
Just under half the 120 business leaders surveyed — 49% — foresee the economy declining either “slowly” or “significantly” over the next six months, according to results released yesterday (Thursday) by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and Pinkston for the fourth quarter of 2025.
Retail activity was booming in Tysons for the first half of this year, surging past pre-pandemic levels, the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) found in a recent report.
Released last month, the retail-focused market report for the second quarter of 2025 offered some positive economic news for Fairfax County at a time when the federal government shutdown and rising unemployment have kept the larger D.C. region on edge.
A Reston-based information technology company may lay off nearly 100 people by the end of this year.
Citing “uncertainty around the future of some contracts with federal agencies,” the contractor Peraton issued layoff notices to 92 employees earlier this month, the Washington Business Journal reported last week.
Home sales and average sales prices across Fairfax County rose in September, as buyers cashed in on lower interest rates despite ongoing economic concerns.
A total of 953 properties went to closing for the month, up from 920 in September 2024, according to figures reported Friday (Oct. 10) by Bright MLS, using data from MarketStats by ShowingTime.
More than one in four Fairfax County households meets the definition of “food-insecure,” and that figure is likely to rise in coming months as the full impacts of federal worker and funding cuts materialize.
“More challenging times are ahead,” Hilary Salmon, senior director of marketing and communications for Capital Area Food Bank, predicted when briefing board members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) yesterday (Wednesday).
Nonprofits in Northern Virginia drive over $1.6 billion in economic activity, yet a new report warns that they face increasing threats from funding cuts, declining donations and growing demand.
Titled “The State of Nonprofits in Northern Virginia,” the Sept. 22 report from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s research arm, Insight Region, says these risks could lead to program closures and reduced access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education.
Fairfax County in August had a 27.5% year-over-year increase in unemployed residents, a number some regional leaders may simply be the tip of the iceberg if more federal cuts and a weaker economy arrive.
A total of 622,875 county residents were employed in the civilian workforce, and 24,048 were looking for jobs during the month, according to figures reported Wednesday (Oct. 1) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (Virginia Works).
Much of the federal government has ground to a halt, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain at odds over a funding plan.
With no clear end to the shutdown in sight after Democrats held firm yesterday (Wednesday) on their demands for a budget that extends health insurance tax credits, local government officials shared resources to help federal workers and other people affected by a loss of services, while some area restaurants are offering deals to ease the financial blow.
A report released last week confirmed the fears of Fairfax County’s leaders: that the D.C. region and Northern Virginia in particular are bearing the brunt of the economic fallout of ongoing worker and funding cuts by the Trump administration.
With the federal government potentially shutting down and many federal workers officially losing their jobs after accepting “deferred resignation” offers earlier this year at midnight tomorrow (Wednesday), Fairfax County Board of Supervisors slammed Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin — a Republican — for what he described as a lack of preemptive action.
Uncertainty remains as county leaders and budget staff begin looking toward the fiscal 2027 budget process.
“Overall, we’re kind of sitting in the same place,” said Philip Hagen, director of the county’s Department of Management and Budget. He was briefing members of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget Policy Committee on Sept. 16.
