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Regional Economic Indicators

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

The Center for Regional Analysis routinely updates data that provide a greater understanding of what drives the Greater Washington regional economy.

View the current set of indicator data charts here 

CRA produces more than 60 charts and graphs summarizing trends in the national and regional economies and housing markets.  Data elements include gross domestic product, jobs, unemployment, consumer confidence, coincident and leading indices, interest rates, sales of existing and new homes, home prices, and regional economic forecasts, among many other categories. CRA develops information concerning both the overall regional economy and focused/select economic and housing data for Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland, and the District. This set of charts is updated when new data are released.

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In Memorium: Dr. Roger R. Stough

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

It is with great sadness that the Center for Regional Analysis shares news of the untimely passing of our center’s founding director, Dr. Roger R. Stough.

Celebrated as one of George Mason University’s original founders of The Institute of Public Policy (TIPP), Dr. Stough sought out and won grants and contracts totaling more than $50 million from agencies ranging from NASA and the National Science Foundation to the Department of Justice and the Federal Transit Administration. The aforementioned grants and contracts, along with Dr. Stough’s determination and hard work, proved key to creating what ultimately would become George Mason University’s Schar School for Policy and Government, as well as launching many graduate degree programs and establishing influential research centers, including our own Center for Regional Analysis.

The Schar School’s obituary to Dr. Stough’s exceptional professional life can be found here.

Our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Barbara, and his sons Brandon and John. Roger was a beloved leader, scholar, teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend. We all will miss him very much.

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Meeting the Housing Needs of Older Adults in Montgomery County

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis partnered with Lisa Sturtevant and Associates and Neighborhood Fundamentals to assess the housing needs of seniors in Montgomery County.

The study of senior housing was performed with The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

View the Study of Housing for Older Adults in Montgomery County.

The study was undertaken by the department’s Research and Special Projects Division in response to the county’s growing number of residents aged 55 and older – estimated to be nearly 288,000 people — and the housing challenges this population faces. Among the goals of the research are to quantify the supply of housing serving older adults in the county; document the characteristics of the senior population; assess current and future demand for senior housing – both the amount and preferred housing types; and recommend ways of preparing to meet growing senior housing needs.

Findings of Housing for Seniors Study

By 2040, one in five residents in Montgomery County will be 65 and older, and one out of three will be 55 and older. The unprecedented growth in the senior population suggests significantly growing housing and service needs for an aging population.

About 15.5 percent of households headed by someone 55 and older spend more than half of their incomes on housing costs each month. This number of severely cost-burdened households suggests unmet housing needs among older adults in Montgomery County. In addition to the need for affordable and accessible housing for very low income and the oldest residents, there is likely current unmet demand for smaller homes to serve the county’s older adult population.

Other findings include:

  • More seniors in Montgomery County will be renters in the years to come due to changing economic characteristics of older adult households.
  • The oldest seniors face the greatest challenges and their numbers are growing, but the vast majority of assisted living facilities in the county are not targeted to older adults with limited incomes.
  • Most older adults would like to age in place while living in their homes independently rather than relying on institutionalized care or family members.
  • Access to neighborhood amenities and services is important to aging in place.
  • Federal funding for senior housing programs is declining.

Recommendations for Housing for Seniors

Proposed strategies are based on an evaluation of current and future housing needs, the county’s current programs, and a review of programs and policies around the country. The strategies are also based on discussions among the Planning Department, Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Commission on Aging and local senior housing developers and operators, among others. The study includes the following recommendations:

  • Support proposed changes in the moderately priced dwelling unit (MPDU) program to support more affordable housing options for seniors.
  • Co-locate senior housing with community facilities and use publicly owned property to produce senior housing.
  • Address senior housing needs in the planning process.
  • Allow more diverse housing types in residential zones and improve the viability of accessory apartments for older adults.
  • Remove zoning and regulatory barriers to group homes and age-restricted housing.
  • Maintain a commitment to senior housing in Montgomery County’s affordable housing fund, the Housing Initiative Fund (HIF).
  • Create set-asides for older adults in the housing choice voucher and rental assistance programs.
  • Improve the effectiveness of homeowner and renter property tax exemptions and credits.
  • Fund emergency assistance to seniors at risk of eviction or homelessness.
  • Expand Montgomery County’s “Design for Life” program to educate developers about marketing opportunities and benefits of accessible housing and to offer additional incentives to include a higher number of accessible units in multi-family developments.
  • Support naturally occurring retirement communities and existing volunteer-led, senior villages.
  • Create a one-stop shop for senior housing programs and services.
  • Explore funding possibilities for senior housing through Maryland’s Medicaid waiver program.

Read the complete Senior Housing Study online.

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Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

The National Recreation and Park Association and George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis explored the role that quality park amenities play in 21st century regional economic development. Based on conversations with more than 70 park and recreation professionals, economic development practitioners and site-location consultants, this report highlights the important supporting role parks and recreation in recruiting and retaining businesses and skilled workers.

Read the Full Report Here

Parks and recreation support environmental stewardship and promotes health and wellness in communities across the United States. Less appreciated are these agencies’ many contributions to economic prosperity. Park and recreation agencies employ hundreds of thousands of people while their operations and capital spending generate significant economic activity. Moreover, local parks shape perceptions of and enhance the quality of life in communities.

This study builds on previous NRPA research on the economic importance of local park and recreation agencies by exploring the role that quality park amenities play in 21st century regional economic development. It reviews the impact that a community’s quality of life has on its ability to attract and retain business and a talented workforce. This report also identifies opportunities where local parks officials can better engage with their communities’ economic development entities.

Key Findings

  • Park and recreation departments are significant employers, and their operations and capital spending generate significant economic impacts on local communities.
  • Investments in improving a community’s quality of life create a virtuous cycle: high quality-of-life locations attract workers, which attract employers, which in turn attract even more investments and jobs.
  • High-quality parks and recreation can play a pivotal role in attracting and retaining quality businesses.
  • Active engagement with companies and workers influence business expansion decisions and attract new residents to a community.
  • Key partners to drive greater parks and recreation involvement in economic development planning and activities include:
    • Municipal departments that shape quality of life (e.g., public schools, public libraries, transit agencies)
    • Shapers of the built environment (e.g., private sector developers, downtown development organizations, business improvement districts, metropolitan planning organizations)
    • Neighboring park and recreation agencies and private non-profit competitors (e.g., YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs)

You can read the full report and dig deeper into the insights through 14 mini-case studies highlighting how park and recreation agencies serve in a vital role to attract and retain businesses and skilled workers.

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The Economic Impact of Local Parks

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

CRA has completed a study for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) regarding an examination of the economic impacts of operations and capital spending by the local park and recreation agencies on the US economy.

Read the Executive Summary here

Read the Full Report here

In 2015, NRPA joined forces with the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University to estimate the impact of spending by local park and recreation agencies on the U.S. economy. Until then, there had been no national study to estimate the economic contribution of the thousands of local park and recreation agencies throughout the nation to the U.S. economy.

NRPA and the Center for Regional Analysis joined forces again in 2018 to update the landmark 2015 study. Both the 2015 and 2018 studies focused exclusively on the direct, indirect and induced effects local park and recreation agencies’ spending has on economic activity, with analysis based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This report presents a summary of the key results from the updated study.

How Much Does Parks and Recreation Contribute to the U.S. Economy?

America’s local park and recreation agencies generated $154 billion in economic activity in 2015, nearly $81 billion in value added and more than 1.1 million jobs that boosted labor income by $55 billion.

More specifically, operations spending by local park and recreation agencies generated nearly $91 billion in total economic activity during 2015. That activity boosted real gross domestic product (GDP) by $49 billion and supported more than 732,000 jobs that accounted for nearly $34 billion in salaries, wages and benefits across the nation.

Further, local park and recreation agencies also invested an estimated $23 billion on capital programs in 2015. The capital spending led to an additional $64 billion in economic activity, a contribution of $32 billion to GDP, $21 billion in labor-related income and nearly 378,000 jobs.

These are the key findings from research conducted by NRPA and the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University for the Economic Impact of Local Parks Report.

Policymakers and elected officials at all levels of government should take notice. Investments made to local and regional parks not only raise the standard of living in our neighborhoods, towns and cities, but they also spark activity that can ripple throughout the economy.

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Event Recap: Symposium on Strengthening the Pipeline from School to Work

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Schar School of Public Policy and Government

Northern Virginia Association of Realtors® 

On March 8th, 2018 George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, the College of Education and Human Development, Mason’s Center for Regional Analysis coordinated the “Symposium on Strengthening the Pipeline from School to Work: Private Sector and School Partnerships”. At the day-long gathering located at the George Mason University Arlington Campus, over 250 educators, business leaders, and academics met to discuss rigorous strategies for establishing and growing partnerships and innovative work-based learning opportunities.

The day consisted of two morning panels which included the following school and business leaders:

  • Anne Holton, former Virginia Secretary of Education and visiting professor of education policy at GMU
  • Jeffery Smith; Superintendent, Hampton City Schools and Champion of the Academies of Hampton
  • Jason Price, Commander, Community Engagement Unit, Hampton Police Division
  • Ralph Saunders, The Academy of Law & Public Safety at Bethel High School
  • Matt Burrows, Superintendent, Appoquimimink (DE) School District
  • Tom Windley, CEO, Premier Physical Therapy
  • Jared Cotton, Superintendent, Henry County (VA) Public Schools
  • Monica Callahan, ChamberRVA, Mission Tomorrow Job Fair, FutureRVA Initiative
  • Charles Britt, NOVA SySTEMic, Northern Virginia Community College
  • Dr. Steve Constantino, Acting Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction

Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gave the keynote address after lunch, affirming the need of business and school collaboration and discussing his current efforts with Chicago CRED. The day ended with an encouraging panel of students who have experienced a work-based learning project. The panel demonstrated the amazing potential of strong partnerships between businesses and schools to 1) help students develop critical skills for success in the workplace and 2) expose students to career options including possibilities they might not have otherwise encountered.

 Acknowledgments

We are greatly appreciative of:

  • Financial support of the Schar School of Policy and Government, the College of Education and Human Development, and within CEHD the Center for Education Policy and Evaluation
  • Staff and logistical support from staff and students at CEHD, and here at the Schar School the Centers for Public Service and the Center for Regional Analysis.

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Phillips programs for children and families which helps youth with behavioral health needs get the education and training they need to succeed.
  • Skillsource Group, which helps connect both displaced and incumbent workers to the education, training, and placement opportunities they need to succeed.

Special Thanks to the following partners: