Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Add Comparison

2024 Population

6.32M

2024 Median Age

0.264% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.11%

3.26% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$126,684

2.25% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$579,900

4.86% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3.36M

0.642% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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.

89.2% of the residents in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are University of Maryland Global Campus (16,107 degrees awarded in 2024), American Public University System (15,883 degrees), and University of Maryland-College Park (12,348 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was $579,900, and the homeownership rate was 63.7%.

Most people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 32.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was 2 cars per household.

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV borders Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, California-Lexington Park, MD, Cambridge, MD, Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA, Easton, MD, Gettysburg, PA, Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV, Richmond, VA, and Winchester, VA-WV.

Photo by PeterPanFan

United States District of Columbia Maryland Virginia West Virginia

Population & Diversity

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is home to a population of 6.32M people, from which 89.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 24% of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV residents were born outside of the country (1.52M people).

In 2024, there were 1.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.59M people) in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.53M Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 682k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.2%

2024 Citizenship

89.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.2% of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was 89.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.59M ± 3.5k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.53M ± 5.19k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
682k ± 3.31k

18%

Hispanic Population

1.14M people

18% of the people in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are hispanic (1.14M people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

El Salvador
255,285 ± 12,313 people
India
165,928 ± 9,953 people
Mexico
102,063 ± 7,820 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of District of Columbia was El Salvador, the natal country of 255,285 District of Columbia residents, followed by India with 165,928 and Mexico with 102,063.

Foreign-Born Population

24%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.52M people

23.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.49M people

As of 2024, 24% of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV residents (1.52M 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-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was 23.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
147,965 ± 3,283
Vietnam
71,577 ± 1,626
Gulf War (1990s)
64,028 ± 2,029

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.07 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.

Health

92.6% of the population of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV has health coverage, with 55.4% on employee plans, 12.5% on Medicaid, 9.41% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 2.48% 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, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

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

776 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in District of Columbia

Primary care physicians in District of Columbia see an average of 776 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (776 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in District of Columbia in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.3% under 18 years, 21.2% between 18 and 34 years, 40.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.9% were men and 51.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.38%

Uninsured

55.4%

Employer Coverage

12.5%

Medicaid

9.41%

Medicare

12.8%

Non-Group

2.48%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV grew by 0.13% from 7.37% to 7.38%.

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

Economy

The economy of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV employs 3.36M people. In 2024, the largest industries in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (604,320 people), Public Administration (436,322 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (355,777 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($123,671), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($117,727), and Management of Companies & Enterprises ($108,234).

Employment

Occupations

3.36M

2024 Value

± 15,763

0.642%

1 Year growth

± 0.658%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV grew at a rate of 0.642%, from 3.34M employees to 3.36M employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, are Management Occupations (492,021 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (328,388 people), and Computer & Mathematical Occupations (303,932 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.

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

3.36M

2024 Value

± 15,763

0.642%

1 Year growth

± 0.658%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV grew at a rate of 0.642%, from 3.34M employees to 3.36M employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (604,320 people), Public Administration (436,322 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (355,777 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, though some of these residents may live in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$80,242

Median earning men ± $643

$63,220

Median earning women ± $663

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($130,991), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($115,752), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($114,689).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($118,484), Information ($88,111), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($86,620).

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

22,259
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
10,395
Other Services (except Public Administration)
8,737
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$77.5M
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$22.5M
Health Care and Social Assistance
$16.8M
Finance and Insurance

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia went to Kamala Harris with 53.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (43.9%), followed by Jill Stein (0.849%).

Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen, Angela Alsobrooks, Shelley Moore Capito, and Jim Justice are the senators currently representing the state of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia is currently represented by 21 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Showing the available data for Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (53.6%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (43.9%)
Republican Party
Jill Stein (0.849%)
Green Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia.

Mark Warner

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2009

Tim Kaine

Senator from Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

Chris Van Hollen

Senator from Maryland

Assumed office on January 3, 2017

Angela Alsobrooks

Senator from Maryland

Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Shelley Moore Capito

Senator from West Virginia

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Jim Justice

Senator from West Virginia

Assumed office on January 14, 2025
Inauguration delayed in order to finish his term as Governor of West Virginia.

Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Chris Van Hollen, Angela Alsobrooks, Shelley Moore Capito, and Jim Justice are the senators currently representing Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV awarded 109,133 degrees. The student population of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 204,729 male students and 227,898 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are White (41,719 and 41.6%), Black or African American (21,435 and 21.4%), Hispanic or Latino (14,562 and 14.5%), and Asian (10,807 and 10.8%).

The largest universities in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV by number of degrees awarded are University of Maryland Global Campus (16,107 and 14.8%), American Public University System (15,883 and 14.6%), and University of Maryland-College Park (12,348 and 11.3%).

The most popular majors in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV are General Business Administration & Management (10,744 and 9.84%), Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (4,543 and 4.16%), and Computer & Information Systems Security (4,241 and 3.89%).

The median tuition costs are $28,400 for private four year colleges, and $7,776 and $16,833 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-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, the percentage of applicants admitted was 52.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 432,627 (47.3% men and 52.7% 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 432,627 students enrolled in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 47.3% men and 52.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 143,052 records, of which 49.5% were women and 50.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
4,479 degrees awarded
Information Science
2,501 degrees awarded
General Business
2,435 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was General Business Administration & Management with 4,479 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Maryland Global Campus
16,107 degrees awarded
American Public University System
15,883 degrees awarded
University of Maryland-College Park
12,348 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Maryland Global Campus with 16,107 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 51,212 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, which is 0.884 times less than the 57,921 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 41,719 degrees mean that there were 1.95 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 21,435 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 ($28,400) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,354) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) 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-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV was $579,900 in 2024, which is 1.74 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $553,000 to $579,900, a 4.86% increase. The homeownership rate in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is 63.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV have an average commute time of 32.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$579,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$2,374

$1.51M

Median Property Taxes

±$8,653

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-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

63.7%

Homeownership

2024

69.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.7% of the housing units in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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.

$126,684

Median Household Income

± $733

2.37M

Number of Households

± 12,390

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.37M households in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV grew to $126,684 from the previous year's value of $123,896.

The following chart displays the households in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 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-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV is from District of Columbia.

0.464

2024 Wage GINI in District of Columbia

0.466

2023 Wage GINI in District of Columbia

In 2024, the income inequality in District of Columbia was 0.464 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.381% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more 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

Drove Alone (54.7%)
Worked At Home (25.4%)
Carpooled (7.75%)

In 2024, 54.7% of workers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (25.4%) and those who carpooled to work (7.75%).

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

32.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV have a longer commute time (32.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.36% of the workforce in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.11% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (504k out of 6.22M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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.