Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
HR&A collaborated with Fairfax County and the Economic Development Authority to develop a comprehensive Economic Recovery Framework that positioned the county for stronger, more inclusive economic growth following the pandemic. Our analysis and community engagement produced strategic recommendations that guided the County’s investment in new programs and partnerships designed to strengthen local businesses and create opportunities for all residents.
The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented economic challenges for Fairfax County, with significant job losses affecting workers, businesses, and residents unequally across demographic and geographic lines. The County needed a data-driven framework to understand these disparate impacts and guide an equitable recovery strategy. HR&A conducted a comprehensive economic impact analysis, examining job losses through 2020 both in aggregate and by industry and worker demographics. We engaged extensively with County staff, local small businesses, business support organizations, nonprofit service providers, and regional institutions through interviews and an online questionnaire to identify specific challenges and needs that recovery efforts should address.
The Economic Recovery Framework provided Fairfax County with a strategic roadmap organized around five key areas: business recovery and resilience programs, regulatory improvements to enhance the business environment for local and minority-owned enterprises, job placement and economic opportunity programs, worker and family support interventions, and targeted teams to address recovery challenges in different areas of the county. These recommendations explicitly recognized existing racial and economic disparities and provided the County with clear guidance on interventions needed to narrow economic outcomes at individual, business, and community levels. The framework enabled the County to strategically prioritize resources and establish new programs and partnerships that support both immediate recovery needs and long-term economic resilience.
