Federal Hubs

In 2012 there were approximately 27,000 federal employees and a range of federal facilities in the County. These facilities comprise several large employers, such as: 

• The IRS
• Joint Base Andrews (JBA)
• Major research engines, such as:
  • The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
  • The FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
  • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  • The NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction
• The U.S. Census Bureau
• Other agencies

While an important source of high-paying jobs, Prince George’s County has neither captured its proportionate share of federal leases, especially for office space, nor been successful in promoting spin-off development associated with its federal facilities. Several initiatives will help alter these trends:

• The Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) activity has directed several thousand new jobs to JBA expanding the base’s footprint even further in the County. 
• A HUD Community Challenge Grant has funded the preparation of an action plan to identify market-driven strategies and development incentives to attract federal and spin-office tenants and mixed-income housing along the southern Metro Green Line. 
• The JBA Joint Land Use Study Implementation Committee is working on a range of issues, including how to promote base-related economic development. 
• A site adjacent to the Greenbelt Metro Station has submitted a bid to house the new headquarters for the FBI which could bring upwards of 11,000 new jobs to the County.