The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
District of Columbia is a county of District of Columbia with 681,294 residents. Its economy produced $184,298 million in 2024 (ranked #1 of 1 counties) and had 759,572 jobs with an average annual pay of $122,982 (#1 for pay). The unemployment rate was 5.3% in 2026M09. It is part of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metropolitan area (central county).
District of Columbia produced about $184,298 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 100.0% of the combined output of the 1 counties of District of Columbia that BEA reports (about 100.0% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 1st of 1 on that measure. Per resident that is $270,511, about the same as the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $270,511. In current dollars output grew 5.8% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 759,572 jobs located in District of Columbia on average in 2024, spread over 52,228 employer sites (about 15 jobs per site). That is 1.11 jobs for every resident, close to the 1.11 of the typical county in District of Columbia, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $122,982, about the same as the average of all counties in the state ($122,982 against $122,982). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.2% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are professional and technical services (23.3% of private jobs, $184,371 a year on average), health care and social assistance (13.7% of private jobs, $85,571 a year on average), other services (except public administration) (13.2% of private jobs, $118,785 a year on average). Together they hold 50.2% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is information at $221,644 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($184,371). The county is specialised in several industries: other services (except public administration) (3.0 times the US share, 69,072 jobs); educational services (2.9 times the US share, 44,874 jobs); professional and technical services (2.3 times the US share, 121,785 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: health care and social assistance ($85,571), accommodation and food services ($47,026), administrative and waste services ($71,579). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in District of Columbia was 5.3%, about the same as the average of the state's counties (5.3% against 5.3%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 401,751. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 5.3% (2026M09) to 6.8% (2025M09); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $109,870 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($109,870 against $109,870). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Washington. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to District of Columbia in output are . Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 1 counties of District of Columbia ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 681,294 | 1 of 1 |
| GDP 2024 | $184,298 million | 1 of 1 |
| GDP per resident | $270,511 | 1 of 1 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 759,572 | 1 of 1 |
| Average annual pay | $122,982 | 1 of 1 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.2% | 1 of 1 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 5.3% | 1 of 1 |
| Median household income | $109,870 | 1 of 1 |
Federal jobs in District of Columbia (1,452) →All cities of District of ColumbiaState guide: District of Columbia
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is District of Columbia.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 681,294 | $109,870 | $1,954 | $737,100 | 64.2% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional and technical services | 121,785 | 23.3% | $184,371 | 2.30 |
| Health care and social assistance | 71,700 | 13.7% | $85,571 | 0.66 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 69,072 | 13.2% | $118,785 | 3.02 |
| Accommodation and food services | 67,068 | 12.8% | $47,026 | 0.97 |
| Administrative and waste services | 47,326 | 9.1% | $71,579 | 1.06 |
| Educational services | 44,874 | 8.6% | $83,671 | 2.86 |
| Retail trade | 19,989 | 3.8% | $51,033 | 0.26 |
| Information | 18,575 | 3.6% | $221,644 | 1.30 |
| Construction | 14,406 | 2.8% | $93,796 | 0.36 |
| Real estate and rental | 12,640 | 2.4% | $122,646 | 1.07 |
| Finance and insurance | 12,448 | 2.4% | $254,562 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 10,026 | 1.9% | $89,640 | 0.79 |
| Wholesale trade | 5,585 | 1.1% | $197,187 | 0.19 |
| Management of companies | 3,228 | 0.6% | $283,558 | 0.25 |
| Utilities | 2,110 | 0.4% | $147,033 | 0.73 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,995 | 0.4% | $81,912 | 0.06 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 401,751 |
| Employed residents | 380,414 |
| Unemployed residents | 21,337 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 759,572 |
| Employer sites | 52,228 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 681,294 | $184,298 million | $270,511 | 759,572 | $122,982 | 5.3% |
681,294 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$184,298 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
5.3% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
759,572 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $122,982 (BLS QCEW).