CensusEasy
STATE · ADMITTED 1790 · 2000 CENSUS

District of Columbia

572,059 residents · 1 counties · 1 cities · 61.0 sq mi · 206 census tracts
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The short version

District of Columbia is home to 572,059 people. 41% of homes are owner-occupied. This is an unusually credentialed place: 39% of adults have a four-year degree. 20.2% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The typical home is worth $153,500. The population has held roughly steady since 1990.

DC
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
572,059
−6%since 1990
from 606,900 in 1990
1990 – 2024
Median age
34.6
+3%since 1990
from 33.6 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
61.0 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
560K596K632K669K705K19902000201020202024District of Columbia
2024681K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 55.7%(32,536)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 96.2%(35,385)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 145.2%(30,018)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 196.6%(37,867)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 249.1%(51,823)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3417.8%(101,762)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4415.3%(87,677)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5413.2%(75,310)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 648.7%(49,783)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 746.3%(35,919)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 844.4%(25,004)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.6%(8,975)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$40,127
−1%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $30,727 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,659
+52%since 1990
from $18,881 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
20.2%
+3.3 ptssince 1990
from 16.9% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$153,500
−4%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $121,700 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$618
−2%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $479 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
40.8%
+1.9 ptssince 1990
from 38.9% in 1990
59.2% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic29.6%(179,690)
Black65.9%(399,751)
Hispanic / Latino5.2%(31,358)
Asian1.9%(11,233)
2000
White, non-Hispanic27.8%(159,178)
Black59.4%(340,088)
Hispanic / Latino7.9%(44,953)
Asian2.6%(15,039)

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 American4.2%(28,446)
Salvadoran2.7%(18,098)
Mexican2.4%(16,516)
South American2.4%(16,184)
Puerto Rican0.8%(5,371)
Colombian0.7%(5,060)
Guatemalan0.7%(5,039)
Dominican0.5%(3,453)
Spaniard0.5%(3,258)
Cuban0.5%(3,100)
Peruvian0.4%(2,688)
Honduran0.4%(2,436)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Argentine0.3%(1,979)
Venezuelan0.3%(1,879)
Ecuadorian0.2%(1,644)
Chilean0.2%(1,266)
Costa Rican0.1%(853)
Nicaraguan0.1%(851)
Panamanian0.1%(780)
Bolivian0.1%(773)
Uruguayan0.1%(421)
Paraguayan0%(295)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.2%(8,197)
Chinese1%(6,695)
Korean0.5%(3,452)
Filipino0.4%(2,453)
Vietnamese0.3%(2,295)
Japanese0.2%(1,206)
Taiwanese0.1%(687)
Pakistani0.1%(680)
Nepalese0.1%(509)
Bangladeshi0.1%(453)
Indonesian0.1%(408)
Burmese0%(268)
+ 10 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(252)
Cambodian0%(130)
Sri Lankan0%(130)
Kazakh0%(126)
Laotian0%(34)
Uzbek0%(31)
Okinawan0%(28)
Hmong0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(198)
Samoan0%(76)
Guamanian0%(51)
Tongan0%(13)
Ancestry
Irish8.1%(55,299)
German7.8%(52,902)
English7.1%(48,479)
Italian4.6%(31,565)
Subsaharan African4.4%(29,664)
American3%(20,229)
Polish2.3%(15,592)
West Indian1.9%(13,111)
French1.6%(11,160)
Scottish1.6%(10,661)
Ethiopian1.4%(9,569)
Russian1.3%(9,064)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Jamaican1%(7,007)
Arab1%(6,895)
British0.8%(5,114)
Swedish0.7%(5,097)
Dutch0.7%(4,613)
Norwegian0.7%(4,449)
Nigerian0.6%(4,162)
Ukrainian0.6%(3,984)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(3,785)
Greek0.5%(3,557)
Iranian0.4%(3,059)
Welsh0.4%(2,645)
Hungarian0.4%(2,617)
Lebanese0.4%(2,539)
Czech0.3%(2,378)
Austrian0.3%(2,328)
Lithuanian0.3%(2,184)
Danish0.3%(2,171)
French Canadian0.3%(2,016)
Haitian0.3%(2,008)
Swiss0.3%(1,829)
Portuguese0.2%(1,668)
Brazilian0.2%(1,636)
Romanian0.2%(1,552)
Turkish0.2%(1,445)
Slovak0.2%(1,329)
Finnish0.2%(1,101)
Canadian0.1%(1,019)
Ghanaian0.1%(993)
Guyanese0.1%(966)
Croatian0.1%(949)
Syrian0.1%(923)
Armenian0.1%(898)
Moroccan0.1%(662)
Egyptian0.1%(647)
Belgian0.1%(633)
Latvian0.1%(592)
Bulgarian0.1%(548)
Israeli0.1%(548)
Palestinian0.1%(526)
Kenyan0.1%(463)
Slovene0.1%(412)
Serbian0.1%(378)
Barbadian0%(264)
Australian0%(256)
Iraqi0%(252)
Macedonian0%(133)
Jordanian0%(112)
Somali0%(97)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.1%
+5.8 ptssince 1990
from 33.3% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
77.8%
+4.7 ptssince 1990
from 73.1% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
21.0%
+3.8 ptssince 1990
from 17.2% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.4 min
−26%since 1990
from 26.2 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married51.2%(112,516)
Married36.7%(80,681)
Widowed3.4%(7,409)
Divorced8.7%(19,100)
Women 15+
Never married46%(117,290)
Married31.8%(81,057)
Widowed11.6%(29,420)
Divorced10.6%(26,944)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
3.6%
−3.1 ptssince 2013
from 6.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
61.7%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 59.5% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.8%
−1.6 ptssince 2020
from 13.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
13.2%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 13.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
24.9%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 26.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
71.5%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 70.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.4%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 35.5% 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)37.3%(7,258)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.2%(4,123)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era28%(5,456)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6%(1,165)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1%(188)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 19,465 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
Section 02

Largest cities

1.Washington693,645
Section 03

Metropolitan & micropolitan areas

Metropolitan areas (1)
1.Washington6,465,724

Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.

Frequently asked

How many people live in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia has about 572,059 residents according to the 2000 Census.

What is the median household income in District of Columbia?

The typical household in District of Columbia earns about $40,127 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is District of Columbia expensive?

In District of Columbia, the median home is worth about $153,500, and the typical rent is about $618 a month.

How educated are people in District of Columbia?

About 39.1% of adults age 25 and over in District of Columbia hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in District of Columbia?

About 20.2% of people in District of Columbia live below the federal poverty line.

Has District of Columbia grown since 1990?

Yes, District of Columbia has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 34,841 residents, a change of about -6 percent over that period.

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Largest cities
Washington
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District of Columbia
Metro areas
Washington

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →