Cost of living in District of Columbia

District of Columbia at a glance

Median rent

$1,954

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$109,870

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$737,100

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$4,312

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

30 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

6.3%

Census ACS, DP03

District of Columbia's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 10% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The one county in District of Columbia

These are the most populous places in District of Columbia, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• District of Columbia

  Population

  681K

  Rent

  $1,954

  Household income

  $109,870

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,312

  Set as targetPlan

District of Columbia, worth the trip

Founded in 1790 as the federal district, the permanent seat of the United States government. Congress established a 100-square-mile territory in 1790 on land ceded by Maryland and Virginia. After the Civil War the city of Washington grew past its planned boundaries and became legally the same as the District of Columbia.

• National Mall and Memorial Parks

  Memorials to presidents, veterans and national events on the open ground at the center of the capital.

• Rock Creek Park

  A 1,754-acre city park authorized in 1890, with tall trees, wild animals and thousands of years of human history.

• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

  Cedar Hill, the house where Frederick Douglass lived his last 17 years.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in District of Columbia

Current owners in District of Columbia pay a median 0.58% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $4,312 a year, the median bill. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

A buyer in District of Columbia should expect a higher bill than these: the 10% assessment cap credit ends the half tax year the property transfers, and a buyer starts again on the full assessed value. Source: DC Code § 47-864, owner-occupant residential tax credit.

Health in District of Columbia

Life expectancy

76.5 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

3.1%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

12.8%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

113

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for District of Columbia as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in District of Columbia

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$292M

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$0.48

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$130M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

District of Columbia, DC is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The one county in District of Columbia

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.