county

District of Columbia, DC

Demographic and economic profile of District of Columbia, DC, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Washington, DC has a population of 702,250 and an exceptionally high-output economy, with GDP per capita of $213,039 — nearly three times the median worker earnings of $79,471 — reflecting its concentration in government, policy, and professional services. The workforce is highly educated, with 63.6% holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and labor force participation stands at 72.0%, though unemployment is elevated at 6.5%. Housing costs are significant, with a median home value of $724,600 and median rent of $1,900/month, and the population has contracted by 1.8% over the past five years.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

702,250

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$109,870

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

34.9 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-1.8% since 2018

District of Columbia lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • Black or African American Alone286,997 (42.1%)
  • White Alone258,050 (37.9%)
  • Some Other Race Alone37,984 (5.6%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race32,929 (4.8%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races32,722 (4.8%)
  • Asian Alone29,748 (4.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish58,315
  2. 2.Other Indo-European11,579
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)9,922
  4. 4.Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)5,149
  5. 5.Other Asian and Pacific Island3,597

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

18.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

68.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

12.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

14.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

19,465

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$213,039

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$75,253

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

6.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

14.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services97,377
  2. 2.Public Administration (Group)68,240
  3. 3.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance65,707
  4. 4.Other Services, Except Public Administration (Group)38,014
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services25,842

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations268,872
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations45,384
  3. 3.Service Occupations42,065
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations12,325
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations6,344

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 3.78×)66,275
  2. 2.Professional, Scientific, & Management (LQ 2.09×)95,724
  3. 3.Other Services (LQ 2.08×)36,471
  4. 4.Information (LQ 1.96×)13,666
  5. 5.Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate (LQ 0.92×)22,773

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$724,600

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,900/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

41.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $500,000 to $749,99932,209 (23.9%)
  • $750,000 to $999,99924,663 (18.3%)
  • $1,000,000 to $1,499,99924,301 (18.0%)
  • $400,000 to $499,99915,252 (11.3%)
  • $300,000 to $399,99912,424 (9.2%)
  • $1,500,000 to $1,999,9999,397 (7.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

63.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

92.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

72.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$79,471

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

30.0 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

35.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Worked At Home123,146 (33.0%)
  • Drove Alone102,181 (27.4%)
  • Public Transit75,680 (20.3%)
  • Walked35,337 (9.5%)
  • Carpooled14,972 (4.0%)
  • Bicycle12,158 (3.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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More on FDI Connect

Compare District of Columbia against other US geographies, save it to your shortlist, see active property listings on the interactive map, and unlock the full demographic dashboard.

Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.