Category: Blog

Population growth in the Washington region stabilized in 2017 and was modestly stronger than in 2016. Our region continues to lose residents to other parts of the nation, although the loss in 2017 was less severe than the losses in prior years. The moderating net domestic out-migration is likely the result of a slowdown in job growth in key metro areas that has likely diminished their relative attractiveness to potential out-migrants. Net international migration became the largest source of growth in 2016, surpassing the natural increase (births minus deaths).[1] Compared to the other 15 largest metro areas, the region continues to rank near the middle of the pack with the seventh fastest population growth and the ninth largest net domestic migration rate in 2017.

The Washington region added 50,900 jobs between 2016 and 2017 based on data released today from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 5,600 fewer jobs than indicated by the preliminary release. The major revisions include (1) stronger job growth in the Other Services sector, which led the gains in 2017, (2) weaker job growth in the Professional & Business Services, Retail Trade, Leisure & Hospitality, and Education & Health sectors than initially reported, (3) downward revisions to growth during the summer months in the District of Columbia, (4) weaker growth in Suburban Maryland, including job decreases at the end of 2017, and (5) modest upward revisions to job growth in Northern Virginia.

This piece ran in the Washington Business Journal in the Feb. 2, 2018 edition. The graphic was prepared by the Washington Business Journal using data supplied by the Institute. The Washington Leading Index, which is designed to forecast the performance of the region’s economy six to eight months in advance, increased in November, gaining 3.8 percent from…

This piece ran in the Washington Business Journal in the Jan. 26, 2018 edition. The graphic was prepared by the Washington Business Journal using data supplied by the Institute. During 2017, the Education & Health Services sector added 13,000 jobs, the third largest gain of all sectors behind Professional & Business Services and Leisure & Hospitality. Gains…

Amazon is considering three jurisdictions in the Washington region for its second headquarters (HQ2): the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, MD, and Northern Virginia, which included proposals from the city of Alexandria, and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun. Amazon’s decision will be a pragmatic one of matching its needs and preferences with the metropolitan area’s labor force, its infrastructure, its culture, and the attractiveness of the incentives the jurisdiction offers. Most bidders will accordingly seek to highlight their highly educated STEM workforce, their university system, their subways, highways, and airports, as well as their quality-of-life, and their culture of entrepreneurialism. Yet, the question of how well matched these features of an economy are to Amazon’s business activity, rather than any average technology-oriented company requires a more nuanced discussion.