The Fredericksburg and surrounding regions have a diverse economy that has shielded the area from the worst of the economic recession. The region's unemployment rates have stayed well below national levels.

One of the biggest drivers of the local economy is the federal government, both for jobs in the region and employment opportunities for commuters.

Hundreds of millions of federal dollars are spent in the region annually, thanks in large part to the three military bases--Marine Corps Base Quantico in Stafford County, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren in King George County and Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County.

Terremark Worldwide Inc. has a corporate campus in Culpeper County that protects sensitive federal data and is powered in large part by Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear power plant near the southern border of Spotsylvania County.

Quantico in particular has seen ample growth of late, a trend that is expected to continue with about 3,000 new jobs coming to the base in 2011. That has fueled the growth of government contracting jobs and commercial real estate projects surrounding the base. Some of the nation's largest defense contractors--including Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin--all have a local presence. The FBI is a big employer in the region, both at Quantico and outside.

Many thousands of Fredericksburg-area residents also travel outside the region for federal and private-sector government support jobs in Northern Virginia. The Virginia Railway Express, which is expanding into Spotsylvania, allows an alternative form of travel to the capital along train tracks owned by CSX Corp.

Health care is another major driver of the local economy. Two new hospitals--Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center and Stafford Hospital--have opened in the past couple of years to join Mary Washington Hospital. Medical office buildings and free-standing medical clinics have been built around the hospitals.