Federal Workforce Briefing #3: 3.20.25
As noted in the Cooper Center’s second policy brief, Virginia ranks second in the United States in terms of federal employment, and the current downsizing of federal agencies will directly affect Virginia’s economy. This third policy brief addresses federal contracts’ relevance to Virginia’s economy, in terms of the businesses, non-profit organizations, and other entities in the Commonwealth that depend on contracts from the federal government.
Virginia ranks first in the United States in terms of prime federal contracts and grants. The federal government spends money on a variety of goods, services, and suppliers in Virginia, including farmers, consultancy firms, telecommunication companies, health insurance companies, coal companies, and manufacturing firms, among others, and affects thousands of workers and businesses owners. Over 441K of Virginia jobs are dependent on federal contracts. According to Cooper Center estimates, the number of Virginia-based jobs directly dependent on federal contracts comprises 7.7% of the total full-time and part-time workers in Virginia.