Loudoun County residents definitely seem to like where they live.
In its latest survey of residents (Loudoun says it periodically polls people who live there to update demographics and gauge opinions) an overwhelming majority gave high marks to two aspects of the county in particular: the economy and the quality of life.
When it comes to Loudoun’s economy, 86 percent of respondents say it’s either good or excellent.
Quality of life saw stellar scores as well: 84 percent of respondents rated it good or excellent.
Further, 85 percent say they would recommend living in Loudoun County to someone who asks, and 84 percent say they plan to stay there for the next five years.
Other standouts in the survey include the feeling of public safety. Eighty-four percent rate that as either good or excellent. Parks and recreation hit 81 percent; health and wellness got 79 percent; the natural environment came in with 77 percent.
It isn’t all great news, however.
Overall confidence in the Loudoun government is a mixed bag.
While just over half of residents describe their confidence as good (38 percent) or excellent (13 percent), 32 percent say it’s just fair and 17 percent say it’s poor.
In particular, only 41 percent of residents say the county government is excellent or good at being open and transparent to the public.
The county was similarly dinged on transportation.
Just under half of residents say mobility is good (37 percent) or excellent (12 percent), 36 percent say it’s fair and 16 percent say it’s poor.
The county got hit with low marks for public transit. Only 26 percent say it’s good or excellent.
Public opinion on education for grades K-12 took a 10-point dive. In the county’s 2020 survey, 76 percent of residents said it was good or excellent. This time around, 66 percent say the same.
Schools are also the topic that residents most want Loudoun County to focus on for the next two years, and 59 percent are willing to take a tax increase to see it happen.
Other prime areas of focus include cost of living and housing, road maintenance, youth activities and crime reduction, traffic, health and human services, jobs, and access to mental health services.
You can view the full results online, and see the presentation to the county board of supervisors here.
The survey was conducted by Polco’s National Research Center and is based on responses from 1,507 Loudoun County residents collected from November 28, 2022, to January 9, 2023. The National Community Survey report uses a benchmark against other similar communities. It has a margin of error of 3 percent.
Feature image courtesy MJ Kerr/stock.adobe.com
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