District of Columbia Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
District of Columbia Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
A
Health Above averageAmong the top 5 healthiest states in the US
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A
Income Above averageWealthiest state in the US
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A+
Education Top gradeBest educated state in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 678,314 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 9924.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.38% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 322,655 | 130,235,071 |
Population in District of Columbia grew by 15.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 678,314 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in District of Columbia is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 29.4% of residents. That is 7.2 points above the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 157,102 23.2% +1.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 199,580 29.4% +7.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 113,702 16.8% -3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 90,769 13.4% -3.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below the US, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.3% of the people living in District of Columbia and men 47.7%.
- Women 52.3% the US 50.5%
- Men 47.7% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in District of Columbia
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
District of Columbia has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $110,571 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.30% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in District of Columbia is about 37% higher than in US.
Housing
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $597,276 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,953 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 41.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in District of Columbia is about 25.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,953 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in District of Columbia spend about 61 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 252 hours, about 10.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 252 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,824 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 32.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 23,558 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,264 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
District of Columbia:
District of Columbia (30.3 min).
Slowest:
District of Columbia (30.3 min).
The average commute time in District of Columbia is 30 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in US.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
District of Columbia has a education index of A+, which means it is exceptionally educated.
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.99 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
District of Columbia:
District of Columbia (0.5).
Lowest:
District of Columbia (0.5).
Health
District of Columbia has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | District of Columbia | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 14.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
District of Columbia:
District of Columbia (0.8).
Lowest:
District of Columbia (0.8).
District of Columbia Compared With Nearby States
District of Columbia is the smallest of the 6 states compared here, 678,314 residents against a local median of 8,702,460. The measure that sets District of Columbia apart most is median home price: $597,276, 133% above the local median of $256,082.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.3 min against a local median of 23.2 min, 31% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so District of Columbia is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The states themselves sit within $200,323 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and District of Columbia, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. District of Columbia has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 678,314 | $110,571 #1/6 | $597,276 #1/6 | 30.3 min #6/6 |
| Maryland | 6,204,886 | $103,916 | $267,101 | 28.3 min |
| Delaware | 1,017,061 | $85,760 | $243,076 | 22.1 min |
| Pennsylvania | 13,004,688 | $78,249 | $152,469 | 22.4 min |
| Virginia | 8,702,460 | $93,527 | $256,082 | 23.2 min |
| New Jersey | 9,334,304 | $103,817 | $352,792 | 26.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about District of Columbia.
How many people live in District of Columbia?
About 678,314 people live in District of Columbia, in 322,655 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 33.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is District of Columbia?
Averaged over its land area, District of Columbia has 9,925 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 115 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in District of Columbia?
The median home costs 5.4 times the median household income ($597,276 against $110,571), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,953 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in District of Columbia have a college degree?
58.8% of adults in District of Columbia hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 6 in 10), well above the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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