Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Fairfax County, VA

Welcome to Fairfax County.

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Fairfax County is the most populous in the state of Virginia and in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area, representing 13% of the state's and 18% of the metro area's total population, respectively.

Total GDP for the county increased 33%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $151.9 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Fairfax County voted five out of six times for Democrats and only once for a Republican candidate.

Fairfax County comprises Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Fairfax.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: District of Columbia, Charles County, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Arlington County, Loudoun County, Prince William County, Alexandria city, Fairfax city, and Falls Church city.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
47.49%48.86%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
53.25%45.94%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
60.12%38.93%++
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
59.57%39.07%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
64.43%28.61%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
69.85%28.01%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%33%
Government
Enterprises
13%23%
Private Industries87%35%
Agriculture<1%0%
Mining<1%0%
Utilities<1%-16%
Construction3%23%
Manufacturing1%21%
– Durable<1%11%
– Nondurable<1%34%
Trade11%40%
– Wholesale7%39%
– Retail4%42%
Transportation<1%0%
Information7%106%
Finance & Insurance6%29%
Real Estate12%0%
Professional &
Business Services
35%32%
Educational Services1%18%
Healthcare &
Social Services
5%29%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%76%
Accommodation &
Food Services
2%20%
Other Services22%14%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total. GDP data includes Fairfax, Fairfax City and Falls Church
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers7494
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
18697
📺 Electronics & Appliance7996
🛒 Grocery Stores32997
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores5993
⚕️ Health & Personal Care24697
⛽ Gasoline Stations19197
👕 Clothing Stores29197
👠 Shoe Stores6094
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry8195
🏸 Sporting Goods4894
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers1890
🏬 Department Stores7795
💐 Florists4096
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops4994
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 3294
🍺 Bars & Taverns1170
🍽️ Full-service restaurants90498
🍔 Limited-service restaurants99399
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers73499
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation11596
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%118%$243,600 N/A
Top 20%46%$155,900 $172,900
Next highest 20%26%$86,400 $105,800
Middle 20%16%$53,700 $67,900
Second lowest 20%9%$30,200 $44,300
Bottom 20%3%$10,000 $19,300
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries60%$68,700
Self-Employment11%$29,200
Investment Income124%Below $10,000
Social Security44%$21,700
Supplemental Security6%$10,800
Public Assistance2%Below $10,000
Retirement32%$27,800
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%1%2%2%
$25K
– $49K
<1%2%3%3%
$50K
– $99K
1%7%6%5%
$100K
– $199K
1%13%13%7%
$200K
& more
<1%11%17%5%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$48,200 $28,200
African-American$18,300 $19,000
HispanicBelow $10,000
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$11,600
Highschool & GED$40,700 $23,300
Some College to
Associate’s
$65,800 $28,200
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$67,400 $41,700
Graduate Degree$46,400 $82,700
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$72,100 $44,300
STEM2$100,600 $29,000
Gray-Collar3$42,200
Pink-Collar4$16,300
Sales5$65,900 $29,300
Blue-Collar6$35,900 $24,000
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding+
Cold Waves+
Drought+
Earthquake+$
Hail+
Heat Waves+$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm+
Landslide+
Lightning+
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather+$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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