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Executive Summary

Greater Washington’s economy, from Baltimore through Richmond, is at an inflection point: without a concerted effort to diversify the economy and shift our path, we risk lagging economic outcomes and falling behind our U.S. peers. We already have a strong foundation of strategic intent among the jurisdictions that make up our region. But the complexities we face today—federal administration shifts, changing workplaces, rise of AI, global competition—require more than just these individual strategies. Region Rising: Shaping Greater Washington's Economy for the Future is our strategy for coordinated action across jurisdictions and sectors.

Our regional vision is clear: We are America’s Capital of Trusted Innovation.

The region’s economic future could be shaped by continued investment in innovation aligned with broader economic priorities. This economic future will combine our world-class research, proximity to federal decisionmakers, history as the center for global change, and deep expertise in the technologies that define national competitiveness: AI-enabled cybersecurity, life sciences breakthroughs, and defense technology. Region Rising outlines key priorities:

Defend and extend foundational sectors
Foundational sectors form the bedrock of the regional economy, providing stability and a significant share of employment. There are eight sectors identified as foundational sectors for the region: government services, education, local health services, transportation and distribution, tourism and entertainment, professional business services, media and communications, as well as financial services.

Promote high-growth sectors
The region has an opportunity to diversify the economy and invest in high-growth sectors—technology (e.g., cybersecurity, AI), life sciences, and aerospace & defense— that are projected to increase jobs by double the rate of foundational sectors.

Invest in areas that enable growth and competitiveness across our sectors
There are several cross-cutting “enablers” and underlying business conditions that have an outsized role in the location decisions of people and companies. Four enablers were identified as priorities to “get right”: innovation, talent, livability, and business friendliness.