Northern Virginia lost 8,200 jobs as the commonwealth shed tens of thousands of federal workers between November 2024 and November 2025, new data shows.
Non-farm employment in Northern Virginia was down 0.5% as of November, according to data that the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement reported yesterday (Wednesday). The commonwealth as a whole, meanwhile, had lost 22,400 federal jobs year-over-year — an 11.5% decrease.
Median apartment rents in Arlington ended 2025 about 1% lower than they started the year, the first annual decrease in five years.
But according to one analysis, rents in the county remain among the priciest in the nation, about 19% higher than the D.C. area as a whole and 86% more expensive than the national median.
The Arlington real estate market is expected to see a modest rise in sales and prices in 2026, despite economic challenges that may hamper growth.
In the single-family sector, Arlington’s projected 3.8% rate of price growth is on the higher end for jurisdictions in a new 2026 market forecast, released Dec. 29 by the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) and Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University.
September jobs data delayed by the federal government shutdown show a 34% year-over-year increase in Arlington residents reported as unemployed, with the rate increasing 54% in Falls Church.
A total of 148,251 county residents were reported employed in the civilian workforce in September, according to figures reported Dec. 18 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
Arlington County’s tax revenue was millions of dollars short of what was expected in the first months of this fiscal year, resulting in cutbacks on some expenditures.
County revenue from real estate taxes and taxes on public consumption — like sales, meals and lodging taxes — was $13 million behind projections during the first four months of the fiscal year that began July 1, County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a County Board briefing yesterday (Tuesday).
Falls Church homeowners may or may not see a dip in real estate taxes next year as property assessments continue to rise.
At a Dec. 3 planning session of City Council members, there was general consensus around the desire to lower the current tax rate to offset expected higher home-assessment values. But doing so was left as a goal, rather than made a requirement, as city staff begins developing the fiscal year 2027 budget.
Falls Church city and school leaders head into planning for the fiscal year 2027 budget with many unknowns to contend with.
David So, the city government’s new budget director, sketched out a number of budget scenarios at a Monday (Dec. 1) work session between members of the City Council and School Board. Depending on the scenario, his projections leave a budget gap of between $2.7 million and $5.4 million that will have to be addressed before a final budget is adopted next May.
Arlington’s apartment-rental costs continued a seasonal slide in November, but remained the highest outside California in a national survey.
According to figures reported Dec. 3 by Apartment List, the median rent in Arlington was $2,398 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,898 for two bedrooms and $2,547 overall. That’s down 0.9% month-over-month, compared to a 1% decrease nationally, and is down 0.3% year-over-year.
A drop in occupancy rates at Arlington hotels is raising concerns about how long a rebound might take and the ripple effects it will have across the county’s overall economy.
Vacancy rates are “the biggest challenge” among local economic indicators at the moment, said Kate Ange, acting director of Arlington Economic Development.
Regional airport leaders are budgeting for a moderate rebound in passenger numbers after a decline in 2025.
The calendar year 2026 budget for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) anticipates about 12.8 million enplanements next year, up from a projected 12.6 million in 2025 but down from the record 13.1 million enplanements in 2024.
The housing market in Arlington held up well in October despite economic headwinds and the federal shutdown.
One key indicator: The average sales price for single-family detached homes approached $1.5 million — down from an unexpectedly high amount in September but still well above year-over-year figures.
The number of Arlington rental units that are financially accessible to those earning less than 80% of area median income (AMI) has skyrocketed rather than plummeted over the past decade.
Not because housing is becoming cheaper, but because incomes of local residents have risen faster than the cost of renting.
