The local economy of District of Columbia and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
5.7%
-0.8 ptsvs a year ago
379,289 people employed.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$2,725
+4.5%vs a year ago
715,766 jobs at 51,365 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
1,976
+35.6%this year vs last year
Most in Washington DC 1,976.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
-3,043
-6.3 per 1,000residents
42,408 moved in and 45,451 moved out. Most newcomers came from Maryland.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
District of Columbia gas price
$4.42
+$1.19vs a year ago
Price for the state. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, District of Columbia, October 10, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
24K
-0.3%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
559K
+5.9%vs 2022
Largest sector: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (21.2%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$56.8B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$101,634
Highest sector: Finance and Insurance $199,781.
Per employee per year
Share of District of Columbia's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 46,896 | $34,364 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 37,293 | $58,414 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations | 32,600 | $141,290 |
| Legal Services | 31,599 | $231,941 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 31,528 | $148,322 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 25,785 | $85,564 |
| Social Advocacy Organizations | 24,283 | $105,557 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 15,625 | $117,080 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 13,476 | $73,065 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 13,197 | $126,397 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 11,957 | $72,266 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 10,495 | $107,654 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Offered pay in certified work-visa filings, fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Click a company for its jobs and salaries.
In fiscal year 2025, employers offered a median of $112,000 a year in 2,522 certified H-1B filings for jobs in District of Columbia, up 7.7% from 2024 (US: $120,000). The largest job group was Software Developers. Fiscal year 2026 so far covers filings decided through Jun 30, 2026.
Median offered pay
$112,000
+7.7%vs 2024
Middle half: $84,004 to $148,221.
H-1B, fiscal year 2025
H-1B filings
2,522
+3.7%vs 2024
3,410 positions asked for.
Certified, full-time, fiscal year 2025
Top job group
$124,800
Software Developers, 395 filings.
Median offered pay of the largest job group
Green card jobs
$97,323
-14.1%vs 2024
485 PERM filings.
PERM median, fiscal year 2025
Median and middle half of the offers in District of Columbia, next to the US median. Hover a year for the numbers.
| Job group | Filings | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 395 | $124,800 |
| Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians | 172 | $134,077 |
| Data Scientists | 125 | $115,939 |
| Lawyers | 96 | $225,000 |
| Economists | 95 | $165,000 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 79 | $104,300 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 74 | $65,000 |
| Management Analysts | 66 | $183,500 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 64 | $65,000 |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 60 | $70,000 |
| Employer | Filings | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia Public Schools | 139 | 3 |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. CTSH | 89 | 1 |
| Children's National Medical Center | 73 | 1 |
| Georgetown University | 63 | 1 |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 54 | 2 |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services LLC | 39 | 1 |
| Oracle America, Inc. ORCL | 28 | 1 |
| Infosys Limited INFY | 26 | 1 |
| hCL AMERICA, INC. HCLTECH.NS | 26 | 1 |
| The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. | 26 | 1 |
| City | Filings | Median pay | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 2,492 | $112,000 | $83,839 to $148,221 |
| District of Columbia | 9 | $122,699 | $112,000 to $126,100 |
| Washingon | 2 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| NW Washington | 2 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| Northwest Washington | 2 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| North Washington | 2 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| Washigton | 1 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| Washignton | 1 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| Alexandria | 1 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
| Kansas City | 1 | - | fewer than 3 filings |
Yearly pay that employers offered in certified work-visa filings (H-1B, E-3 and PERM green card), from official public data. Pay is the lower end of the offered pay range, for full-time positions only. These are offered pay figures for positions in work-visa filings, not the pay of all employees. A filing is an offer for a position, not a hire, and one person can appear in several filings. Fiscal years run from October to September. Groups with fewer than 3 filings show counts only. Employers are ranked by filings in the cities of District of Columbia added up.
Declared disasters and flood insurance claims: what happened, from official public data.
District of Columbia has had 24 declared disasters and emergencies since 1989, 20 of them since 2000, most often Severe Storm. Flood insurance has paid $5.55 million on 501 claims since 1978; the biggest year was 2011 ($1.64 million).
Declared disasters
20
12 major disasters. Most often Severe Storm (9 since 1989).
Since 2000, all types; 24 since 1989
Flood claims paid
$2.03M
221 claims. Biggest year 2011 ($1.64M).
2016 to 2025, flood insurance
Policies in force
2,276
Average premium $403 a year.
2025, flood insurance policies
Most-declared county
20
District of Columbia, latest Feb 20, 2026.
Declarations since 2000
Declarations for District of Columbia, 1989 to today
Claims paid in District of Columbia by the year of the flood, US dollars
Declarations since 1989
Declarations naming the county since 2000; statewide ones not counted
All years since 1978; policies are a yearly average. Top 1 of 1.
| # | County | Claims | Paid | Policies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 501 | $5.55M | 2,089 |
A declaration opens federal help after a disaster; it can name counties or the whole state. Flood insurance numbers count insured losses only (most homes have no flood insurance) and are not adjusted for inflation; the current year is data so far. For the flood-zone risk of a place, open the area on the real estate map.
Environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports of facilities in District of Columbia, from official public data.
Official public data lists 1,389 facilities in District of Columbia with records since 2010, 1,383 of them with environmental compliance records. In 2022 to 2026, the largest penalties were at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington ($65,376). 11 large facilities reported 279,350 metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, down 4.1% from 2022.
Facilities with records
1,389
1,383 with environmental records.
Since 2010
Largest penalties
$65K
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington.
One facility, 2022 to 2026
Greenhouse gases
279K t
-4.1%vs 2022
11 reporting facilities.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
Largest emitter
115K t
GSA Central Heating, Washington.
Metric tons CO2e, 2023
| Facility | Penalties | Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Washington | $65,376 | 5 |
| Superior Concrete Sw Washington | $64,000 | 0 |
| Townhomes at Michigan Park Washington | $40,500 | 0 |
| Skyland Washington | $39,500 | 0 |
| Mcmillan Slow Sand Filtration Site Washington, Dc | $39,500 | 0 |
| Walter Reed Army Medical Center Washington | $27,000 | 0 |
| Gsa - Nebraska Avenue Complex Washington | $7,000 | 2 |
| J. Mbah Tire Services Washington | $4,500 | 4 |
| Adams Place Warehouse Washington | $2,500 | 2 |
| L'Enfant Plaza Washington | $2,000 | 4 |
| Facility | Metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| GSA Central Heating Washington | 114,503 |
| Capitol Power Plant Washington | 60,868 |
| Georgetown University Washington | 42,166 |
| The George Washington University Washington | 25,057 |
| Naval Research Laboratory Washington | 23,094 |
| Howard University Washington | 13,662 |
Large facilities in District of Columbia, metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Hover a year for the number.
Official public data on environmental compliance records, workplace safety inspections and greenhouse gas reports, summarized by facility and year since 2010. A record does not mean a site is unsafe today; penalties and violations vary a lot by industry and size. Penalties are the amounts assessed (after settlements), not amounts paid. Recent years can still change.
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for District of Columbia, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for District of Columbia is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for District of Columbia, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in District of Columbia was 5.7% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 6.5% a year earlier. 379,289 people were employed out of a labor force of 402,398.
Average weekly pay in District of Columbia was $2,725 in Q1 2026, up 4.5% from a year earlier, across 715,766 jobs at 51,365 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 202 new homes in District of Columbia in August 2026 (15 single-family and 185 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 1,466, up 35.6% from the same months last year, and 1,976 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Washington DC (1,976) over the last 12 months.
No, more people moved out than in. From 2022 to 2023, 42,408 people moved to District of Columbia and 45,451 moved away, a net loss of 3,043 (-6.3 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Maryland, Virginia, New York, and most people who left went to Maryland, Virginia, New York.
Regular gasoline in District of Columbia averaged $4.42 per gallon on October 10, 2026, up $1.19 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.51.
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (118,310 employees), Other Services (except Public Administration) (79,279 employees), Health Care and Social Assistance (71,565 employees) were the largest sectors in District of Columbia in 2023. In all, 23,801 business locations employed 558,653 people at an average pay of $101,634 a year.
$112,000 a year was the median pay offered in 2,522 certified H-1B filings for jobs in District of Columbia in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), up 7.7% from 2024. The middle half of the offers ranged from $84,004 to $148,221. The US median was $120,000. These are offered pay figures in work-visa filings, not the pay of all workers.
District of Columbia Public Schools (139), Cognizant Technology Solutions US Corp. (89), Children's National Medical Center (73), Georgetown University (63), Ernst & Young U.S. LLP (54) had the most certified H-1B filings for jobs in District of Columbia in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025).
Software Developers (395 filings, median $124,800), Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians (172 filings, median $134,077), Data Scientists (125 filings, median $115,939) were the largest job groups in certified H-1B filings in District of Columbia in fiscal year 2025.
$112,000 was the median offered pay in Washington, the highest among the District of Columbia cities with the most H-1B filings in fiscal year 2025 (2,492 filings).
$97,323 a year was the median pay offered in 485 certified PERM green card filings for jobs in District of Columbia in fiscal year 2025.
24 disasters and emergencies have been declared for District of Columbia since 1989, 20 of them since 2000 (12 major disasters). The most common type is Severe Storm (9 declarations).
District of Columbia, with 20 declarations since 2000. Statewide declarations are not counted for single counties.
$5.55 million on 501 flood insurance claims since 1978. The biggest year was 2011, with $1.64 million paid on 27 claims. District of Columbia received the most ($5.55 million).
$403 a year in 2025, across 2,276 flood insurance policies in District of Columbia. Most homes have no flood insurance; the premium depends on the home's flood risk and coverage.