economy | ALXnow

Alexandria congressional candidate weighs in on federal firings in ‘Daily Show’ segment

Published June 18, 2026 at 9:15AM

Michael Duffin is running for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District seat (via Michael Duffin for Congress)

Michael Duffin, a fired State Department worker from Alexandria who is running for Congress, appeared on “The Daily Show” Tuesday to discuss federal workforce reductions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Duffin, who lives in the West End with his wife and two children, was one of more than 1,300 federal workers fired by the State Department in July 2025. The Democrat running in the 8th Congressional District joined Maryland congressional candidates Alexis Goldstein and Tracy Starr and New York candidate Alissa Ellman in “The Daily Show” segment on fired federal workers’ campaigns.

News

Alexandria’s home sales, prices rose in May amid strengthening real estate market

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 16, 2026 at 1:45PM

Couple moves into new home (via Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

Increases in sales and average prices in May propelled Alexandria’s homes market to a nearly 15% year-over-year increase in sales volume.

A total of 220 Alexandria residential properties went to closing during the month, up from 206 in May 2025, according to figures reported June 10 by MarketStats by ShowingTime, based on data from Bright MLS.

News

Alexandria’s unemployment outlook improves, yet regional retention challenges remain

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 8, 2026 at 9:15AM

Panelists Taylor Chess, Jason Stanford, Ryan McLaughlin and Terry Clower at June 3, 2026, forum on the region’s economy (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Alexandria’s unemployment rate in April was its lowest in nearly a year, but the region still faces ongoing headwinds in keeping both jobs and workers in place, according to a panel of experts.

With 96,031 city residents counted in the civilian workforce and 3,088 looking for jobs, the city’s unemployment rate of 3.1% in April was the lowest since 3% in June 2025, according to figures reported June 3 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

News

Alexandria’s rents up nearly 4% since start of year but remain lower than 2025 figures

By Scott McCaffrey

Published June 1, 2026 at 9:15AM

The Alexandria skyline (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s median apartment rental cost is up 3.7% since the start of the year and stands about 3.6% higher than the metro area’s median costs, according to new data.

The city’s median apartment rental cost of $2,239 in May — $2,050 for one-bedroom units and $2,518 for two bedrooms — was up 0.6% from April, another sign that the market ramped up as winter gave way to spring.

News

Alexandria’s jobless count has remained above 3,000 for nearly a full year

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 26, 2026 at 9:15AM

Job interview (via Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

The number of Alexandria residents among the ranks of the unemployed stayed above 3,000 for the 11th consecutive month in March, according to new state data.

The 3,333 Alexandrians reported as seeking work in March was up 14.8% from 2,902 a year before, according to figures reported May 19 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

News

Buyers, sellers active as Alexandria sees strong April home sales data

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 13, 2026 at 11:45AM

Townhomes on the Potomac River in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria real estate market saw a strong start to spring, with April sales up 33% year over year.

A total of 217 properties went to closing during the month, according to data from MarketStats by ShowingTime.

News

Alexandria’s unemployment rate eases but remains elevated in new data

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 5, 2026 at 9:15AM

Help wanted sign (photo by Eric Prouzet/Unsplash)

Though still up more than 50% from the final days of the Biden administration, the total number of Alexandria residents recorded as unemployed in February was the second lowest over the preceding year.

A total of 3,323 city residents were counted as seeking jobs in February data reported last week by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

News

Median Alexandria rent grows from start of year but still lags 2025 figures

By Scott McCaffrey

Published May 4, 2026 at 9:15AM

Notch 8 apartments in Potomac Yard (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s median apartment rent rose for the fourth consecutive month in April but stands 3% lower than at the same point in 2025, according to new data.

The median apartment rental rate was $2,224 for the month — $2,040 for one-bedroom units and $2,506 for two bedrooms — according to new data from Apartment List.

News

D.C. region’s federal workforce reaches lowest level since 1990, analysis says

By Emily Leayman

Published April 29, 2026 at 9:15AM

The US Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The D.C. region’s federal workforce has reached its lowest level since 1990 under cuts pursued by the Trump administration, according to a new economic analysis from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The D.C. metropolitan area lost 62,100 federal jobs between January 2025 and January 2026, putting the region’s federal workforce — approximately 313,700 — at its lowest level since 1990, according to the COG report.

News

Alexandria’s home sales stable, prices see mixed results in early 2026

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 14, 2026 at 9:15AM

Real estate home interior (via Francesca Tosolini/Unsplash)

First-quarter home sales were flat across Alexandria while pricing data was mixed, according to new data.

A total of 401 city properties went to closing between Jan. 1 and March 31, up three homes — 0.8% — from the 398 transactions during the same period a year before, according to data reported April 11 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

News

Alexandria’s apartment rents are rising again but remain below 2025 costs

By Scott McCaffrey

Published April 2, 2026 at 8:30AM

The Stratford apartment complex at Southern Towers (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s median apartment rental rate in March was up 2.5% during the first quarter of 2026 but remains 2.7% below where it stood a year ago.

The median citywide rental rate was $2,032 for one-bedroom units, $2,497 for two bedrooms and $2,219 overall, according to figures reported March 30 by Apartment List.