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METRO AREA

Washington Metro

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · 23 counties · 6,465,724 residents (2025 est.) · 6,034 sq mi
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The short version

With 6,318,377 people, Washington is a metro area. 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $613,108. Households take in $130,074 a year at the median, 58% more than the country as a whole. 1,555,512 more people live here than in 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 38.2
US median: 38.9
More educated
54% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 85%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
6,318,377
+33%since 2000
from 4,762,865 in 2000
6,465,724 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,047 / sq mi
+33%since 2000
from 789 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
38.2
+9%since 2000
from 34.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
6,034 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
3.9M4.5M5.2M5.9M6.5M19902000201020202024Washington
20246.3M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.9%(375,861)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(397,003)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.5%(412,311)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(403,446)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(381,556)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.2%(897,809)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.8%(934,132)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413.3%(839,052)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.3%(774,899)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.5%(536,213)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.3%(270,184)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(95,911)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$130,074
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $64,059 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$63,554
+107%since 2000
from $30,646 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
72.0%
+16.2 ptssince 2009
from 55.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.434
+4%since 2010
from 0.419 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information7.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade6.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services6.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.2%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 5.1%
Retail trade3.1%
US avg: 9.9%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.3%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$613,108
+85%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $181,721 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$2,028
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $835 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
65.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 64.5% in 2000
34.9% rent
Vacancy rate
5.0%
−2.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.66 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.67 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
22.1%
−11.2 ptssince 2009
from 33.3% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.0%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 44.7% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.7
−9%since 2009
from 5.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
41
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic55.1%(2,624,169)
Black26.3%(1,250,659)
Hispanic / Latino9%(429,502)
Asian6.9%(327,069)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic41.1%(2,594,686)
Black24.2%(1,528,380)
Hispanic / Latino18%(1,139,644)
Asian10.8%(681,926)
Other5.9%(373,741)
Diversity Score
82
+16%since 2009
from 71 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
43
−3%since 2020
from 45 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Central American8.7%(550,331)
Salvadoran5.4%(342,793)
South American3.2%(205,105)
Mexican2.6%(161,817)
Guatemalan1.6%(100,429)
Puerto Rican1.2%(77,582)
Honduran1.1%(69,045)
Peruvian0.9%(59,134)
Bolivian0.8%(47,514)
Colombian0.6%(38,438)
Dominican0.5%(30,743)
Cuban0.3%(21,393)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.3%(19,538)
Spaniard0.3%(19,061)
Ecuadorian0.3%(15,840)
Argentine0.2%(14,316)
Venezuelan0.2%(13,923)
Panamanian0.2%(11,288)
Chilean0.2%(9,591)
Costa Rican0.1%(5,580)
Uruguayan0.1%(3,117)
Paraguayan0%(1,996)
Asian origin
Asian Indian3%(187,080)
Chinese1.7%(106,953)
Korean1.4%(86,889)
Vietnamese1.1%(66,755)
Filipino1%(63,036)
Pakistani0.7%(46,241)
Kazakh0.3%(19,043)
Nepalese0.2%(14,399)
Bangladeshi0.2%(14,280)
Japanese0.2%(11,885)
Taiwanese0.1%(7,870)
Thai0.1%(7,731)
+ 13 more asian origin groups with data
Cambodian0.1%(5,780)
Sri Lankan0.1%(5,545)
Indonesian0.1%(5,010)
Burmese0.1%(3,506)
Laotian0.1%(3,278)
Mongolian0.1%(2,940)
Uzbek0%(553)
Malaysian0%(470)
Hmong0%(324)
Okinawan0%(86)
Mien0%(49)
Bhutanese0%(46)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(4,731)
Chamorro0.1%(3,042)
Samoan0%(1,531)
Tongan0%(319)
Guamanian0%(159)
Fijian0%(91)
Chuukese0%(71)
Ancestry
German8.9%(559,490)
English8.2%(520,335)
Irish8.2%(519,767)
Subsaharan African4.9%(311,868)
Italian4%(254,488)
American3.6%(227,860)
Polish2%(128,864)
Scottish1.6%(99,771)
West Indian1.4%(88,523)
Arab1.4%(86,674)
French1.3%(84,788)
Ethiopian1.3%(79,733)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.9%(58,327)
Nigerian0.8%(47,529)
Jamaican0.7%(44,655)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(44,514)
Swedish0.7%(41,171)
Dutch0.6%(37,450)
Norwegian0.5%(33,772)
Iranian0.5%(33,020)
British0.5%(32,801)
Ghanaian0.5%(30,041)
Welsh0.5%(29,526)
Greek0.4%(27,504)
Ukrainian0.4%(24,948)
Hungarian0.3%(21,097)
Lebanese0.3%(17,637)
French Canadian0.3%(17,493)
Czech0.3%(17,184)
Haitian0.3%(16,550)
Portuguese0.3%(15,818)
Egyptian0.3%(15,069)
Turkish0.2%(13,957)
Lithuanian0.2%(13,900)
Danish0.2%(13,820)
Austrian0.2%(13,597)
Brazilian0.2%(13,504)
Slovak0.2%(13,112)
Swiss0.2%(12,915)
Moroccan0.2%(12,386)
Romanian0.2%(9,801)
Canadian0.1%(8,538)
Armenian0.1%(8,446)
Guyanese0.1%(8,118)
Finnish0.1%(6,752)
Croatian0.1%(6,559)
Palestinian0.1%(5,977)
Iraqi0.1%(5,740)
Syrian0.1%(5,320)
Kenyan0.1%(5,137)
Jordanian0.1%(4,739)
Belgian0.1%(4,724)
Somali0.1%(4,269)
Bulgarian0.1%(3,853)
Serbian0.1%(3,553)
Slovene0.1%(3,056)
Israeli0.1%(2,856)
Latvian0%(2,848)
Australian0%(2,547)
Barbadian0%(1,928)
Cape Verdean0%(1,248)
Macedonian0%(928)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
54.2%
+12.1 ptssince 2000
from 42.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.4%
+4.6 ptssince 2000
from 86.8% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
27.1%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 18.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
32.3 min
+33%since 2000
from 24.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
55.1%
−11.0 ptssince 2009
from 66.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.2% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
6.8%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 13.9% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
25.2%
+20.9 ptssince 2009
from 4.4% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 6.4% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
70.8%
−2.4 ptssince 2011
from 73.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 79.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
57.2%
+7.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.9% in 2009
Female
50.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.1% in 2009
Foreign born
24.3%
+4.3 ptssince 2009
from 20.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
7.3%
−3.4 ptssince 2009
from 10.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.4%
+1.7 ptssince 2012
from 7.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 11.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.8%
+7.5 ptssince 2017
from 87.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.8%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 96.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.7%
+1.3 ptssince 2020
from 85.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
68.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2016
from 72.0% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
14.4%
+2.0 ptssince 2016
from 12.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married38.7%(967,194)
Married52.5%(1,313,007)
Widowed1.9%(48,104)
Divorced6.9%(172,210)
Women 15+
Never married35.5%(935,186)
Married47.6%(1,254,239)
Widowed6.5%(170,499)
Divorced10.4%(272,763)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
7.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2013
from 11.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
65.0%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 65.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
14.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 13.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.1%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 13.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.2%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
76.2%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
28.5%
+2.6 ptssince 2020
from 25.9% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)42.5%(147,965)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)38.4%(133,837)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era23.8%(82,930)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.1%(10,880)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(2,558)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 348,179 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

WashingtonCENTRAL693,645ArlingtonCENTRAL236,254AlexandriaCENTRAL160,662FrederickCENTRAL92,059Germantown90,719Waldorf82,943Silver Spring81,462Centreville71,706GaithersburgCENTRAL71,113Dale City71,016BethesdaCENTRAL69,397RockvilleCENTRAL67,563RestonCENTRAL64,414Bowie58,383Aspen Hill53,279Wheaton52,926Leesburg49,917North BethesdaCENTRAL49,677McLeanCENTRAL49,627Lake Ridge46,049Ashburn46,026Potomac45,902Manassas44,332Burke44,029Woodbridge43,945Linton Hall41,876Annandale41,705Clinton38,376Oakton36,528Olney35,797

The 30 most populous of 357 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

23 component counties

Fairfax CountyCENTRAL1,167,873Montgomery CountyCENTRAL1,074,582Prince George's CountyCENTRAL970,374District of ColumbiaCENTRAL693,645Prince William CountyCENTRAL502,966Loudoun CountyCENTRAL449,749Frederick County302,883Arlington CountyCENTRAL243,931Charles County176,593Stafford CountyCENTRAL170,803AlexandriaCENTRAL160,662Spotsylvania County155,388Fauquier County76,503Jefferson County63,102Culpeper County57,666ManassasCENTRAL44,332Warren County42,740Fredericksburg30,393FairfaxCENTRAL26,772Manassas ParkCENTRAL16,560Clarke County15,609Falls ChurchCENTRAL15,159Rappahannock County7,439
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Washington

San Francisco
Pop 4,630,041
Boston
Pop 5,034,221
Philadelphia
Pop 6,329,118
Atlanta
Pop 6,482,182
Places similar to Washington
Head to head

Compare Washington side by side

WASHINGTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+5%
Home value$1,186,704+94%
Population4,630,041−28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Boston
Income$116,759−10%
Home value$656,837+7%
Population5,034,221−22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Philadelphia
Income$94,031−28%
Home value$347,163−43%
Population6,329,118−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Atlanta
Income$91,036−30%
Home value$376,129−39%
Population6,482,182same
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has about 6,318,377 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

The typical household in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV earns about $130,074 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV expensive?

In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, the median home is worth about $613,108, and the typical rent is about $2,028 a month.

How educated are people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

About 54.2% of adults age 25 and over in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

About 8.1% of people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV live below the federal poverty line.

Has Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV grown since 1990?

Yes, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has grown since 1990. The population has added about 2,212,422 residents, a change of about 54 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →