Transportation By The Numbers

Northern Virginia (Regional) Trends

                                    1970          1990          2005          2030

Population           945,000      1,528,000   2,168,000   2,880,000  

                             (3,100,000) (3,923,000) (4,983,000) (6,297,000)

Jobs                     431,000      849,000      1,215,000   1,877,000

                             (1,518,000) (2,479,000) (2,990,000) (4,223,000)

Households                   297,000      567,000      808,000      1,083,000

                             (952,000)   (1,459,000) (1,872,000) (2,414,000)

( ) numbers are Northern Virginia, District of Columbia, Suburban Maryland totals.

Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Cooperative Forecasts

Since 1970, or within a couple years of when major highway and bridge improvements started being deleted from regional plans, Northern Virginia has --

·                     Added 1.2 million people

·                     Added nearly 800,000 jobs

·                     Added more than 500,000 homes

Since 1990, or within a couple years of the last transportation funding rate increase, Northern Virginia has --

·                     Added nearly 650,000 people

·                     Added nearly 600,000 vehicles

·                     Added nearly 370,000 jobs

·                     Added nearly 250,000 homes

In the next, 25 years Northern Virginia is projected to --

·                     Add nearly 700,000 more people

·                     Add nearly 700,000 more jobs

·                     Add nearly 300,000 more homes

Loudoun County has added more people (77,000) in the last five years than Arlington County has added in the last five decades.

In 1950, 60% of the metropolitan Washington area population lived in the District of Columbia and 40% in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs.  Today, 11% of the metro areas population lives in the District, 43% in Northern Virginia.

In 1970, 43% of all jobs were in the District of Columbia and 28% in Northern Virginia. Today, 23% of all jobs are in the District and 40% in Northern Virginia.

Something to consider...

NVTA advocates a car-centric view of regional transportation solutions.  While their data and facts are helpful, their lack of focus on transit fails to recognize that you can move more people with less space with transit.  Jurisdictions inside the beltway don't have room to keep adding roads.  We have to help people get to their destinations in ways that make the most efficient use of our limited space.  If transit were more available and convenient, more people would use it.  For more information on NVTA, please visit their website at www.nvta.org.

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