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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 business one — long commutes, childcare costs and the inability to save are making it harder to keep and recruit employees in roles ranging from hourly hotel staff to technical and health‑care positions.
Several employers described concrete recruitment and retention impacts. Peter Cann, chief executive of Enable Intelligence, said his company recently added about "120 jobs" and that many hires are entry‑level AI roles drawn from local colleges and workforce programs. He warned that employees sometimes move out of the area rather than accept the region’s housing costs. Inova Health System CEO Stephen Jones said he recently spoke with a nurse who drives 1.5 hours each way because local housing options are limited.
Supervisors and county staff discussed multiple policy levers. County Executive Brian Hill and Deputy County Executive Jen Miller urged more density and faster permitting, while some board members flagged that new Plan Forward requirements (including higher green‑building standards) can raise construction costs and complicate projects' economics. Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said the county has "been way too slow at times" and that some parcels are entitled but not built; he said the board matter on affordable housing seeks to streamline those processes.
Employers and institutional leaders suggested complementary strategies: employer‑sponsored housing on institutional campuses (noted for George Mason University), down‑payment assistance programs (a Trade Association example in Arlington), rental subsidies, use of underutilized land, and aligning compensation to local costs. Several participants said not every employer can or should build housing but that partnerships — including using county land or catalytic finance — could add supply.
Data and next steps: Mowgry highlighted a 2013–2023 comparison showing roughly 43,000 jobs added versus about 20,000 housing permits in the same period. Chair Dan Stork said county staff, led by Deputy County Executive Jen Miller, will return formal recommendations to the board next year and invited employers to follow up through an anonymous form the county will circulate.
The meeting concluded with a discussion of state funding; Stork noted a Weldon Cooper Center (UVA) study indicating Fairfax returns about "50¢ on the dollar" from state revenues, and he urged further review of that finding at the state level. The board adjourned.
