A Globally Diverse and Inclusive State

Virginia is home to one of the most diverse tech workforces in the country, ranking among the top 10 states for the percentage of tech workers who are Asian American (21%) and Black (12%). Virginia’s tech workforce also stands out for its international character, with 25% of tech workers foreign-born, representing the 10th most international tech workforce in the country.

The Northern Virginia / D.C. is the No. 1 U.S. Metro for Working Women (magnify money, 2020). Alexandria, Arlington County, Richmond, and Virginia Beach received perfect scores in the municipal equality index from the Human Rights Campaign (2020).

In 2020, Virginia became the first state in the South to extend workplace anti-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ+ community. The Virginia Values Act (VVA) expands the Virginia Human Rights Act by including the LGBTQ+ community and by increasing the number of employers subject to the law. Before this expansion, the Virginia Human Rights Act was only applicable to small employers, but these new changes extended the law’s protections for non-age-related discrimination to any employer with more than five employees.