Our People Are Our Advantage

At the end of every year, we deserve to celebrate victories and reflect on our challenges. I think our greatest gift is to take stock of our people: who we work with, including our amazing businesses, community advocates, real estate brokers, County staff and leadership, and, of course, our resilient PWCDED team.

Yet we also cannot forget to be thankful and mindful for who we work for—our Prince William County residents.

Most residents don’t know they play a special part in attracting and retaining businesses for our community. As the Greater Washington, D.C. region continues to pivot in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, our battle for a sustained, talented workforce starts right here in our neighborhoods.

Our PWCDED data dashboard is a snapshot that can help corporations and businesses of all sizes make their decisions based on the advantages of our people and the authenticity, affordability, and accessibility in our workforce.

The data dashboard has been updated with findings from the 2020 U.S. Census, which found Prince William County has continued to grow exponentially in the last decade.

• Prince William County retained not only the position as the second-largest county in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but also as one of the fastest growing, with a population of 482,204, a 20% increase over 2010.

Our culturally and ethnically diverse population makes it one of the most globally represented communities in the region.

• Prince William County is ranked the most diverse county in Virginia and the 10th most diverse in the entire United States.
• The county holds the distinction of being the first global majority county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 62% of residents who completed the 2020 U.S. Census identified with a racial/ethnic minority group.

Our talent comes from around the world, and they stay here. Approximately one-quarter of the county’s population is foreign-born and 34% speaks a language other than English.

• According to the 2017 U.S. Census Annual Business Survey, 35% of the county’s business owners were born in countries other than the United States and 34% of business owners identify as a minority with 2% identifying equally as minority and non-minority.

This column originally appeared on PWCDED Executive Director Christina Winn’s LinkedIn profile.