Virginia Economic Review

Virginia’s unique place in American history goes back to the very beginning, with the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, in 1607.

Virginia’s restaurants mirror its communities, with a wide range of specialties to suit all budgets and abundant seafood from its coastal waterways. The Commonwealth is also home to a thriving wine, beer, and spirits industry.

Virginia’s cities, counties, and towns represent a wide range of living situations, with a location to support any lifestyle.

Cybersecurity attacks are evolving at rapid speed, and the U.S. lacks sufficient professionals to address them.

In an era where cyberattacks threaten everything from bank accounts to national security, the need for cybersecurity has never been higher. In 2020, data breaches, ransomware, and other cybercrimes cost the United States over $4 billion in damages, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Virginia's proximity to the federal government and the wealth of private technology leaders headquartered in the Commonwealth have helped its workforce rise to the forefront of the cybersecurity industry.

In an increasingly digital world where data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cybercrimes are pervasive, a skilled cybersecurity workforce is more important than ever. Yet the industry grapples with a significant worker shortage.

States, nations, and any municipality can build and tout their critical infrastructure that, on the surface, may appear second to none. Think: thriving, automated food and agriculture ecosystems. Sprawling office buildings outfitted with remote smart sensors. Unflappable financial markets.

Brett Vassey is president and CEO of the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA), a trade association that supports manufacturing operations across Virginia.

A trilateral security partnership to share technology and military resources is poised to benefit the Hampton Roads economy and Virginia’s defense ecosystem. The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom formalized the AUKUS partnership in 2021.

Like his fellow Type 1 diabetics, Alec Smith took insulin every day to regulate his blood sugar.

Speed and efficiency are essential competitive edges for any manufacturing operation. Yet the growing adoption of advanced manufacturing techniques isn’t just boosting efficiency with how goods are produced — it’s changing the types of goods that can be made and where they are produced.

With 30 military bases, Virginia is among the states with the highest share of active duty troops relative to state residents.

Backed by monumental funding deals, a peaking business profile, and a strong entrepreneurial undercurrent, Virginia is building an accessible, collaborative, and truly thriving innovation ecosystem far and wide across the Commonwealth.

Imagine an apartment building. The lobby entrance, residential door, and parking deck are all accessed and opened via a phone app. The resident takes their laptop to the pool and it automatically connects with Wi-Fi.

Early in the morning of March 27, a container ship about as tall as the Eiffel Tower left the Port of Baltimore going approximately 9 mph. The ship, named the Dali, was fully loaded with cargo and weighed nearly 100,000 tons.

Tom Walker is the founder and CEO of DroneUp, a provider of drone delivery and flight services that has operated out of Virginia Beach since its founding in 2016.

Tom Barkin is the president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Barkin joined the Richmond Fed in January 2018. In his time in Richmond, Barkin has taken an interest in the issues leading to a divide between urban and rural areas in the Fed’s Fifth District.