economy

Around Town

Freddie’s Beach Bar fights to stay ‘fabulous’ amid difficulties for restaurants region-wide

By Katie Taranto
Freddie's Beach Bar with "drag brunch" signs in Crystal City in 2024 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The owner of a longtime gay bar and iconic local business in Crystal City says he’s remaining an “eternal optimist” following one of the restaurant’s toughest financial years yet.

Freddie Lutz, owner and founder of Freddie’s Beach Bar, says the restaurant is still grappling with economic difficulties that drove business down throughout 2025. However, Lutz says he is hopeful as ever as the bar — a hallmark of Arlington’s culinary and cultural fabric — recently celebrated 25 years in business on Restaurant Row at 555 23rd Street S.

Go to Freddie’s Beach Bar fights to stay ‘fabulous’ amid difficulties for restaurants region-wide Read more
News

Reagan National opens 600+ new parking spaces ahead of summer travel

By Scott McCaffrey
The departures lanes at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reagan National Airport’s parking crunch has become a little less challenging as the busy summer travel season arrives.

More than 600 new spaces became available this week, part of a parking expansion in the airport’s economy lot.

Go to Reagan National opens 600+ new parking spaces ahead of summer travel Read more
News

Number of jobless Arlington residents up 50% since start of Trump administration

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers at a Crystal City career fair (file photo by Jay Westcott)

The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed is up 11.4% year-over-year and has increased 50% since the start of the Trump administration, according to new state data.

A total of 4,814 county residents were looking for work in March, according to figures reported May 19 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s up from 4,358 a year before and up from 3,212 in December 2024, the last full month of the Biden administration.

Go to Number of jobless Arlington residents up 50% since start of Trump administration Read more
News

Arlington’s average home price tops $1.06 million in April, a new record

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

Arlington’s average home sales price hit an all-time high in April, surpassing the million-dollar mark for the second month in a row.

The average sales price of $1,061,497 for all 224 transactions exceeded March’s total of $1,004,052, according to figures reported May 11 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

Go to Arlington’s average home price tops $1.06 million in April, a new record Read more
News

Arlington jobless rate decreases slightly, but so does the labor force

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers at a Crystal City career fair (file photo by Jay Westcott)

The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed in February stood at the third lowest level over the past year, according to new state data.

That may be little consolation to the nearly 5,000 county residents seeking jobs, however — and it doesn’t count those who have left the labor force entirely over the last year.

Go to Arlington jobless rate decreases slightly, but so does the labor force Read more
News

Are Arlington apartment rents rising or falling? New reports give mixed signals

By Scott McCaffrey
Valen apartment building at 2050 S. Bell Street (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Arlington’s median apartment rental rates remain modestly down year-over-year in one new national survey, while posting a slight uptick in another.

In each case, the county’s costs for renters are among the highest in the nation — fifth most expensive in one survey, seventh in the other.

Go to Are Arlington apartment rents rising or falling? New reports give mixed signals Read more
News

With Arlington budget adopted, eyes shift to potentially ‘tough’ FY28 conditions

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board members JD Spain, Sr., and Susan Cunningham (screenshot via Arlington County)

With the county government’s fiscal year 2027 budget season now over, eyes are beginning to turn to fiscal year 2028 — which may or may not be any easier to balance.

“Very uncertain” is how County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., describes the future of the local economy and its impact on the county’s budget process that will play out over the next 12 months.

Go to With Arlington budget adopted, eyes shift to potentially ‘tough’ FY28 conditions Read more
News

Year-over-year county joblessness up nearly 55% in latest monthly data

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers line up at career day in Crystal City (staff file photo by Jay Westcott)

The number of jobless in Arlington rose 54.7% year-over-year in January, according to new state data.

A total of 5,148 county residents were reported as seeking jobs for the first month of 2026, up from 3,328 in January 2025.

Go to Year-over-year county joblessness up nearly 55% in latest monthly data Read more
News

Arlington’s winter home sales and prices stayed mostly flat, compared to 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

Despite a strong finish, first-quarter home sales and prices in Arlington saw little movement compared to a year ago.

Aided by a strong March, a total of 448 residential properties went to closing between January and March, according to figures reported by MarketStats by ShowingTime on April 10. That’s down three homes, or 0.7%, from the 451 transactions recorded during the first quarter of 2025.

Go to Arlington’s winter home sales and prices stayed mostly flat, compared to 2025 Read more
News

Arlington apartment rents tick upward, but remain down year over year

By Scott McCaffrey
The Grace and Reva apartment buildings in Crystal City (courtesy Jason Gooljar)

The median rent remains down year over year in Arlington, though the local market is showing price upticks as winter transitions to spring.

The county’s median apartment rent of $2,585 in March was up 1.4% month over month, contributing to a cumulative 2.4% from the start of the year, Apartment List said in its monthly report, released earlier this week. Nevertheless, the median rental rate remains down 1.7% from a year before.

Go to Arlington apartment rents tick upward, but remain down year over year Read more
News

For the average price of a U.S. home, Arlington buyers get just 755 square feet

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

For the average price of a home in the United States — $400,000 — the typical homebuyer in Arlington is only able to get a 755-square-foot property, a new analysis found.

The county ranks 16th from the bottom in a new PropertyShark survey of 100 large urban areas, which examines how many square feet homeowners can purchase for the sales price of the average U.S. home.

Go to For the average price of a U.S. home, Arlington buyers get just 755 square feet Read more
News

Number of unemployed Arlington residents jumped 23% in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Recruiters talk to job seekers at Amazon career day in Crystal City (file photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington ended 2025 with 23% more residents unemployed than at the start of the year.

In December, 4,676 Arlington County residents were looking for jobs and 147,611 were employed in the civilian workforce, equating to a 3.1% unemployment rate. That’s a sharp increase from January 2025, when 3,814 were unemployed for a jobless rate of 2.5%.

Go to Number of unemployed Arlington residents jumped 23% in 2025 Read more
View More Stories