Stafford County, Va. –– New economic numbers show growth in Stafford County is outpacing the growth rate in other counties in Virginia.
Statistics from the Virginia Employment Commission show Stafford County grew 55 percent between the first quarter 2000 and third quarter 2010, increasing the number of jobs in the county from 23,262 to 36,121 during those 10 years.
During that same time period, Fredericksburg grew by only 9 percent, Spotsylvania County by 31 percent and King George County by 9 percent.
Many of these new jobs have come from private industries that have built more than seven million square feet of office space in the county, creating some 13,000 new jobs.
“We are working hard to bring high quality, family-sustaining jobs to our area so our citizens do not have to commute north or south,” said Stafford County Board Chairman Mark Dudenhefer in a press release. “The Board of Supervisors has taken an aggressive stance to bring businesses to Stafford by placing economic development front and center as a county priority and by executing our Economic Development 10-Point Plan adopted in 2010, which commits us to building a business-friendly atmosphere in Stafford.”
The local government is also reaping the benefits of commercial growth, as $64 million in taxes were collected from businesses which went to fund public safety, parks, schools and other government-related functions in the county.
The growth rates ranks Stafford County second by percentage of growth in Virginia with communities that have 15,000 jobs or more.
