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Economist outlines just how important Dulles region is to Loudoun, Fairfax
It's no secret that Dulles is more than just an airport. But now there is data to back up that claim.The 196-square-mile Dulles region, according to a new report by George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller, touches eastern Loudoun and western Fairfax counties, and encompasses Sterling, Ashburn, Herndon, Reston, the City of Fairfax and Fair Oaks.
Its population of 332,000 is one-third of the two counties’ combined populations. Its median age of 33.5 is lower than that of Loudoun and Fairfax. The proportion of residents with college degrees is 57.5 percent -- slightly higher than Loudoun or Fairfax. Its foreign-born population is 19.3 percent, compared to 11.3 percent and 24.5 percent for Loudoun and Fairfax, respectively.
"It's an identity unto itself," Fuller told a crowd of business leaders in Sterling Nov. 18. "It's a magnet."
Fuller's report, derived largely from 2000 and 2006 census data, also showed that Dulles contains 40 percent of the two counties' jobs and 27 percent of their gross area product, or the amount of goods and services produced in an area.
Regarding office space in the two counties, 45 percent is found in Dulles, as is nearly 30 percent of the retail space and 25 percent of the industrial space.
In 2000, Loudoun and Fairfax residents' salaries totaled $43 billion. Of that, nearly one- third, or $12.7 billion, was paid to people living in Dulles.
As for the future, Fuller’s report predicts that the region's population will increase by 19 percent and its number of jobs by 14 percent by 2015. Also, Dulles' gross area product should hit nearly $46 billion, up from about $35 billion today.
The Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce commissioned the report, in part, according to chamber President Eileen Curtis, because up to this point there have been no metrics to define Dulles, which Curtis calls “the single largest economic driver in the state.”
“I think this can be of great help to businesses in determining how industry trends might affect their business and where new growth will locate,” she said.
To view Fuller's presentation to chamber members, visit www.dullesregionalchamber.org.
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