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Employers tell Fairfax supervisors housing shortages and costs are undermining recruitment and retention
Summary
Employers, education and health leaders told Fairfax County supervisors that high housing costs, long commutes and childcare expenses are complicating efforts to recruit and retain workers; staff data show a $770,000 median home price and a shortfall of housing growth relative to job growth. County staff will follow up with employers and return formal recommendations next year.
Fairfax County leaders and employers on Thursday said housing affordability and availability are constraining hiring and driving some workers out of the county, while county staff and board members outlined options to accelerate housing production.
Rebecca Mowgry, director of the Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives, told the stakeholder roundtable that the county’s median home price is about $770,000 and that a family would need roughly $230,000 in annual income to afford a home at that price. "That is to say that the majority of families in Fairfax County cannot actually afford a house at the median price," she said as staff used an online poll to gather employer input.
Why it matters: Employers said the shortage and cost of housing are not only a quality‑of‑life problem but a…
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