According to government data released on Friday, the District of Columbia's suburbs are rapidly becoming the country's largest growing employment areas. DC's employment growth rate was a whopping 2.98% vs. the national rate of 1.8% for the period ending in July. The District has seen jumps in local government jobs, hospitality, and leisure, but especially in the health-case and professional services sectors. Such a wide range of improving sectors suggests that the regional job market is diversifying. Additionally, large companies such as CACI, Carahsoft, and Pentagon Federal Credit Union have been adding large amounts of jobs in Northern Virginia, which most likely contributed to the high growth rate.
See "D.C. suburbs becoming one of the country’s fastest-growing employment hubs", Aaron Gregg, The Washington Post, August 19, 2016