Washington, DC

Census Place

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2024 Population

681,294

2024 Poverty Rate

15.4%

6.25% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$109,870

3.37% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$737,100

1.73% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

374,990

0.964% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Washington, DC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

92.6% of the residents in Washington, DC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Washington, DC are George Washington University (8,571 degrees awarded in 2024), Georgetown University (8,163 degrees), and American University (4,638 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Washington, DC was $737,100, and the homeownership rate was 41.5%.

Most people in Washington, DC worked at home, and the average commute time was 30 minutes. The average car ownership in Washington, DC was 1 car per household.

About the photo: A look at the east front of the U.S. Capitol from the Senate wing.

Photo by Phil Roeder

United States District of Columbia District of Columbia, DC Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Population & Diversity

Washington, DC is home to a population of 681k people, from which 92.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 14.1% of Washington, DC residents were born outside of the country (95.8k people).

In 2024, there were 1.14 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (284k people) in Washington, DC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 248k White (Non-Hispanic) and 33.2k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.6%

2024 Citizenship

93.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.6% of Washington, DC residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Washington, DC was 93.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Washington, DC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Washington, DC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
284k ± 1.9k
White (Non-Hispanic)
248k ± 1.01k
Other (Hispanic)
33.2k ± 2.3k

11.9%

Hispanic Population

81.2k people

11.9% of the people in Washington, DC are hispanic (81.2k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Washington, DC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for District of Columbia.

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
11,551 ± 2,616 people
Ethiopia
7,807 ± 2,157 people
China
3,564 ± 1,462 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of District of Columbia was El Salvador, the natal country of 11,551 District of Columbia residents, followed by Ethiopia with 7,807 and China with 3,564.

Foreign-Born Population

14.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

95.8k people

13.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

88.5k people

As of 2024, 14.1% of Washington, DC residents (95.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Washington, DC was 13.2%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Washington, DC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
7,258 ± 682
Vietnam
5,296 ± 714
Gulf War (1990s)
2,094 ± 389

Washington, DC has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.37 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Washington, DC.

Health

96.4% of the population of Washington, DC has health coverage, with 54.2% on employee plans, 21.6% on Medicaid, 7.54% on Medicare, 11.9% on non-group plans, and 1.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in District of Columbia see 776 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (776 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 775 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 138 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.2% were men and 52.8% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.3% under 18 years, 30.1% between 18 and 34 years, 36.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.2% were men and 52.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

3.64%

Uninsured

54.2%

Employer Coverage

21.6%

Medicaid

7.54%

Medicare

11.9%

Non-Group

1.1%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Washington, DC grew by 6.63% from 3.41% to 3.64%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Washington, DC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Washington, DC employs 375k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Washington, DC were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (81,710 people), Public Administration (68,240 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (38,014 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($203,398), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($154,848), and Utilities ($149,875).

Employment

Occupations

375k

2024 Value

± 5,444

0.964%

1 Year growth

± 2.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington, DC grew at a rate of 0.964%, from 371k employees to 375k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Washington, DC, are Management Occupations (67,784 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (48,515 people), and Legal Occupations (32,784 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Washington, DC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for District of Columbia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in District of Columbia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

375k

2024 Value

± 5,444

0.964%

1 Year growth

± 2.02%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington, DC grew at a rate of 0.964%, from 371k employees to 375k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Washington, DC, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (81,710 people), Public Administration (68,240 people), and Other Services, Except Public Administration (38,014 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Washington, DC, though some of these residents may live in Washington, DC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$96,765

Median earning men ± $1,985

$83,663

Median earning women ± $1,168

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($144,909), Public Administration ($128,937), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,544).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($121,167), Public Administration ($117,231), and Wholesale Trade ($106,125).

Education

In 2024, universities in Washington, DC awarded 30,327 degrees. The student population of Washington, DC in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 37,467 male students and 63,414 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Washington, DC are White (11,635 and 44.3%), Black or African American (5,861 and 22.3%), Hispanic or Latino (3,131 and 11.9%), and Asian (2,687 and 10.2%).

The largest universities in Washington, DC by number of degrees awarded are George Washington University (8,571 and 28.3%), Georgetown University (8,163 and 26.9%), and American University (4,638 and 15.3%).

The most popular majors in Washington, DC are International Relations & Affairs (2,191 and 7.22%), General Business Administration & Management (2,081 and 6.86%), and Law (1,910 and 6.3%).

The median tuition costs are $46,137 for private four year colleges, and $5,292 and $12,144 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Washington, DC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 42.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 100,881 (37.1% men and 62.9% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 100,881 students enrolled in Washington, DC, 37.1% men and 62.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 34,329 records, of which 60.4% were women and 39.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
1,381 degrees awarded
International Relations & Affairs
1,066 degrees awarded
Other Public Health
412 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Masters Degree recipients in Washington, DC was General Business Administration & Management with 1,381 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Masters Degree from schools in Washington, DC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

George Washington University
8,571 degrees awarded
Georgetown University
8,163 degrees awarded
American University
4,638 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was George Washington University with 8,571 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 11,408 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Washington, DC, which is 0.603 times less than the 18,919 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 11,635 degrees mean that there were 1.99 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 5,861 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($46,137) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($643) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Washington, DC was $737,100 in 2024, which is 2.22 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $724,600 to $737,100, a 1.73% increase. The homeownership rate in Washington, DC is 41.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Washington, DC have an average commute time of 30 minutes, and they worked at home. Car ownership in Washington, DC is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$737,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,625

$134,683

Median Property Taxes

±$2,911

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Washington, DC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Washington, DC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

41.5%

Homeownership

2024

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 41.5% of the housing units in Washington, DC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Washington, DC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$109,870

Median Household Income

± $1,937

324k

Number of Households

± 5,192

In 2024, the median household income of the 324k households in Washington, DC grew to $109,870 from the previous year's value of $106,287.

The following chart displays the households in Washington, DC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Washington, DC is from District of Columbia.

0.436

2024 Wage GINI in District of Columbia

0.435

2023 Wage GINI in District of Columbia

In 2024, the income inequality in District of Columbia was 0.436 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.324% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for District of Columbia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in District of Columbia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in District of Columbia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Worked At Home (33%)
Drove Alone (27.4%)
Public Transit (20.3%)

In 2024, 33% of workers in Washington, DC worked at home, followed by those who drove alone to work (27.4%) and those who used public transit to get to work (20.3%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Washington, DC have a longer commute time (30 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.28% of the workforce in Washington, DC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Washington, DC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Washington, DC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Washington, DC have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Washington, DC (101k out of 654k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Washington, DC is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.