METRO AREA · 1990 CENSUS
Washington Metro
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · 23 counties · 4,105,955 residents · 6,034 sq mi
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The short version
Washington is home to 4,105,955 people. 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 20% nationally. Median home value sits at $163,491. Households take in $46,814 a year at the median, 55% more than the country as a whole. Median rent is $682 a month. Poverty is uncommon here, at 6.6% of people across the metro.
At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $30,130
Mid-age
median age 32.6
US median: 33.0
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 20%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $93,722
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
6,034 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20246.3M
Age distribution, 1990
Under 57.2%(297,554)
5 to 96.7%(273,405)
10 to 146%(248,367)
15 to 196.4%(263,222)
20 to 248.1%(332,856)
25 to 3420.4%(837,893)
35 to 4417.6%(720,871)
45 to 5411.5%(473,075)
55 to 647.4%(304,791)
65 to 745.3%(218,468)
75 to 842.5%(103,791)
85 and over0.8%(31,662)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$46,814
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $64,059 in 2000
US average: $30,130
1990 – 2024
Section 03
Housing
$163,491
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
vs $181,721 in 2000
US average: $93,722
1990 – 2024
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%
1990
White, non-Hispanic66.8%(2,742,019)
Black25.8%(1,060,034)
Hispanic / Latino5.4%(220,626)
Asian4.9%(202,989)
Other2.5%(100,913)
No data for the years selected.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.
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)
Singaporean0%(213)
Okinawan0%(86)
Mien0%(49)
Bhutanese0%(46)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0.1%(4,731)
Chamorro0.1%(3,042)
Samoan0%(1,531)
Tongan0%(319)
Marshallese0%(197)
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)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.2%(10,654)
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
High school or higher
84.5%
−2.3 ptsvs 2000
vs 86.8% in 2000
US average: 75.2%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
No data for the years selected.
Section 08
People & community
No data for the years selected.
Marital status (2024)
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
Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).
Direct-purchase
11.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 12.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
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)
Gulf War (1990s)38.4%(133,837)
Vietnam era23.8%(82,930)
Korean War3.1%(10,880)
World War II0.7%(2,558)
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 WashingtonHead to head
Compare Washington side by side
WASHINGTON VS
San Francisco
Income$136,713+192%
Home value$1,186,704+626%
Population4,630,041−28%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Boston
Income$116,759+149%
Home value$656,837+302%
Population5,034,221−22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Philadelphia
Income$94,031+101%
Home value$347,163+112%
Population6,329,118−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WASHINGTON VS
Atlanta
Income$91,036+94%
Home value$376,129+130%
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 4,105,955 residents according to the 1990 Census.
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 $46,814 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 $163,491, and the typical rent is about $682 a month.
How educated are people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?
About 37.1% 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 6.6% of people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV live below the federal poverty line.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024