Research Briefs and Reports

Sustaining Economic Mobility across Northern Virginia’s neighborhoods

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Insight Region^® presents the second brief report in a series focused on inclusive prosperity in Northern Virginia.

"Spreading the Wealth" examines historic economic mobility for children raised in lower-income households across our region thirty years ago and the opportunity factors that seem to have a causal effect on children's ability to achieve economic success as adults. It finds that Northern Virginia enjoyed the "highest rate of economic mobility in the country; 19 percent of the region's children who grew up in lower-income homes in the 1980's and 1990's were earning in the top quintile for household income as adults, the highest rate of economic mobility across the 50 most populous metro areas."

However, not all communities and neighborhoods in Northern Virginia have equal access to the conditions within the neighborhood— “opportunity factors”—that help produce economic mobility. Among the 113,000 children who were living at or near poverty in Northern Virginia in 2015-19, nearly half lived in a neighborhood with “low” levels of college education, and over a third lived in neighborhoods with low levels of nuclear families, early achievement, social capital, and residential inclusion.

The brief identifies where opportunity lives in Northern Virginia and suggests solutions for targeted investments to ensure that ALL residents enjoy the "Northern Virginia Prosperity Bump."
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Explore economic mobility and the “opportunity factors” in your community!

These interactive maps allow users to view rates of historic economic mobility (source: OpportunityAtlas.org) and current opportunity for pre-identified locations (including all Northern Virginia jurisdictions, communities, and zip codes) using the buttons at the bottom left of the map or create their own maps by selecting specific census tracts. Users can also zoom in and out using the scroll wheel on their mouse, or by selecting the + and – signs on the map key. Users interested in a specific opportunity factor can select these data from the buttons at bottom right. 

Low-Income Northern Virginians face the country's most severe housing cost burden

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia's Insight Region^® presents the first brief report in a new series on inclusive prosperity in Northern Virginia.  It finds that 67% of Northern Virginians with low incomes (less than $50,000 per year for a family of four) are “severely burdened” by the cost of housing, spending over half of their income on rent, mortgage, taxes, fees, and basic utilities. Individuals and families with moderate incomes ($50,000 to $100,000 for a family of four) fare slightly better, but still over half (59 percent) cannot afford their homes and 19% spend over half of their income on housing. When compared to other large metropolitan areas, Northern Virginia has the highest rate of severe housing burden among low-income households and the sixth highest rate among moderate-income households in the country.

The report is an analysis of data from U.S. Census data and the American Community Survey.

Other key findings outlined include:

• Severe housing burden is not spread evenly throughout the region: In Leesburg-Western Loudoun County, 58% of low-income households spent over half of their income on housing, the lowest rate of severe housing burden observed throughout the region (2015-19, five-year average). The highest rates in excess of 75% were observed in North Arlington, Lorton-SE Centreville, and McLean-Idylwood.
• Racial and ethnic minorities and immigrant communities experience severe housing burden at higher rates nationally and in Northern Virginia. Over half (57%) of severely housing burdened households were non-white, and 47% were born in a different country.
• Occupations that experienced severe housing burden at the highest rates are predominantly in roles deemed “essential” during Covid-19, including teachers, construction workers, retail salespersons, drivers, and restaurant staff.
• Seniors account for 23 percent of severely housing burdened households in Northern Virginia.

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Data Relevant to the COVID-19 Crisis Response

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, local leaders in communities across the country have been working tirelessly to ensure that all community members have access to the services and support they need. The immigrant population is both essential to our country’s rapid response efforts and especially vulnerable to gaps in our social safety nets.  Understanding this population helps better inform local leaders as they aim to implement inclusive emergency response policies.

As our One Region report shared in March 2020, Northern Virginia is home to one of the country's fasts growing immigrantdestinations.  This diversity means that immigrants are some of the most vulnerable residents in the region but also heavily represented among the area’s frontline healthcare and essential workforce fighting against the virus and keeping the region running.

Using the latest data from the 2018 American Community Survey 5-year sample, this brief provides a glimpse at the role of immigrants in Northern Virginia during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the impact that the pandemic has had on the immigrant community.

The report was prepared by the New American Economy, commissioned by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission in partership with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.
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NVRC's Immigration Study Dashboard

Welcoming New Americans to Northern Virginia

The One Region Report, is a comprehensive picture of new Americans in Northern Virginia. It highlights the size and rapid growth in the immigrant population in the region and their impact on the local economy including injecting more money into local businesses, property markets, and municipal budgets as consumers, homebuyers, and taxpayers.

The report was prepared by the New American Economy, commissioned by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission in partership with the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.
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NVRC's Immigration Study Dashboard

Identifies Challenges and Barriers to Economic Success for Many in our Region

The Opportunity Index for Northern Virginia is an interactive dashboard to serve as a data resource for community knowledge and strategic philanthropic giving, and to help grow philanthropy for our most economically disadvantaged populations. The data and accompanying report were prepared by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, a nonprofit think-tank that provides credible, independent, and accessible information and analyses of fiscal and economic issues with particular attention to the impacts on low- and moderate-income persons. The Opportunity Index is available to the public for free at www.cfnova.org/opportunityindex.
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Assessing the network of services available for post-9/11 veterans and their families in Northern Virginia

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, in partnership with the United Way of the National Capital Area and with the support of Deloitte Consulting, is pleased to present "Supporting our Region's Veterans." This report was developed to gain a more sophistocated, data-driven understanding of support available to Northern Virginia's veterans, and to provide the Community Foundation, United Way NCA, and other local community-based organizations and philanthropists with the insights needed to strategically target and coordinate contributions and grant dollars toward the greatest needs. Deloitte Consulting invested over $80,000 in pro-bono support to perform the research and publish the report.

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A report on the population 65 and older in our region

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia is pleased to present "A Portrait of our Aging Population in Northern Virginia," a report on the population 65 and older in the Northern Virginia region. This report highlights demographic, economic, and social trends that impact older adults in the region. It uses current data and population projections to identify current needs and to plan for future needs of this population, expected to grow by 76% in the next twenty years.

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Developed in collaboration with Voices for Virginia's Children

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia and Voices for Virginia's Children are pleased to present "A Portrait of Children in Northern Virginia," a first-ever snapshot of the status of Northern Virginia's children. This report highlights demographic, economic, and social trends that impact children and youth ages 0-18 in Northern Virginia.
Executive Summary Full Report Appendix