Module 4 · Relevant geographic market area
Why this geography
A disparity study stands or falls on the market it measures. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro is where Fairfax County draws the overwhelming majority of its vendors, which makes it the defensible relevant geographic market area. The map shows where firms, and diverse firms, actually are.
The WAA market, by jurisdiction
Toggle between employer-firm count and diverse-firm share across the 24 jurisdictions of the proposed RGMA. Hover any jurisdiction for detail.
Source: U.S. Census Annual Business Survey, Company Summary 2022, county geographies. Boundaries from US Census cartographic files trimmed to WAA jurisdictions.
Largest jurisdictions in the market
| Jurisdiction | Firms | Minority | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County, VA | 25,040 | 39.7% | 26.8% |
| Montgomery County, MD | 21,207 | 35.8% | 24.2% |
| District of Columbia | 15,251 | 29.7% | 23.3% |
| Prince George's County, MD | 12,740 | 54.9% | 24.5% |
| Loudoun County, VA | 10,891 | 38.0% | 25.5% |
| Prince William County, VA | 7,075 | 41.5% | 23.3% |
| Frederick County, MD | 5,298 | 15.3% | 20.3% |
| Arlington County, VA | 4,355 | 25.0% | 21.8% |
| Alexandria city, VA | 3,360 | 20.6% | 22.1% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 2,507 | 17.4% | 20.9% |
| Charles County, MD | 2,348 | 29.7% | 22.6% |
| Stafford County, VA | 2,143 | 28.1% | 17.4% |
Showing the 12 largest of 24 WAA jurisdictions. Some small-county cells are suppressed by the Census for confidentiality and show as n/a.
What the map establishes
The RGMA is a legal and statistical choice, not a convenience. It defines whose availability counts.