EXECUTIVE ORDER PROJECT: Reports from Weldon Cooper Center Highlight the Economic Impact of the Federal Workforce in Virginia
The reports, released last week and this week, were prepared for the General Assembly's emergency committee on the impact of federal workforce reductions.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Virginia’s total federal workforce, including active duty military and full-and part-time workers, numbers 475,713—and 7.7% of all jobs in the Commonwealth are dependent on federal contracts.
These are some of the findings from reports released on March 11 and March 20 by the University of Virginia’s non-partisan Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. The Center prepared the briefs for the General Assembly’s emergency committee on federal workforce reductions.
Local delegates Josh Cole and Hilary Pugh Kent serve on the committee, which held its first meeting on February 25.
The March 11 brief delves into the composition and location of Virginia’s federal workforce. The state has the second-highest number of federal civilian workers in the country, behind California by just a few hundred, and the number of full-time federal civilian workers in Virginia has been increasing for the past 25 years.
Seventy-seven of the state’s 133 localities have a higher percentage of federal workers than the national average of 3.2%—and Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and King George join the Washington, D.C. suburbs in having over 12% of the civilian workforce employed by the federal government.
About 40% of the federal workforce is employed in the area of national security, including the National Guard, “reflecting Virginia’s prominent role in supporting national defense operations and military infrastructure,” the Weldon Cooper brief states.
As of 2023, the federal civilian workforce had a median income that was almost twice as high as that of private sector workers, and this workforce represents 18% of Virginians with a graduate degree and 20% of those with a doctorate—facts that highlight the “significant” economic impact of these workers.
The March 20 brief concerns the impact of federal contracts. It finds that Virginia holds the nation’s highest number of federal contracts and that 441,488 Virginia-based jobs are dependent on these federal contracts.
“In addition to federal workers, federal contracts and grants are a strong driver of Virginia’s economy,” the brief states. “From large industries to local businesses, a reduction in federal purchasing and spending in Virginia will result in additional reduced economic activity for the state.”
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