Pay and cost of living in District of Columbia, DC
Across the 97 occupations we cover in District of Columbia, DC, the middle median salary is $66,980 a year. Pay runs from $34,600 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $195,190 for Computer and Information Systems Managers, a spread of $160,590. Wages come from the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in District of Columbia, DC has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,204 a month and a two-bedroom $2,438. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $34,019 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $59,425 a year, and 81 of the 97 occupations listed here (84%) earn enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in District of Columbia, DC
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for District of Columbia, DC, set beside the District of Columbia and national medians.
Median household income in District of Columbia, DC is $109,870, in line with the District of Columbia median of $109,870 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($26,448) equals 24.1% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $66,980, is 39% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in District of Columbia, DC pay a median of $4,312 a year in real estate taxes, in line with the District of Columbia median of $4,312. With a median home value of $737,100, in line with the District of Columbia median of $737,100, the ratio of the two medians is 0.58% a year.
Renters in District of Columbia, DC pay a median gross rent of $1,954 a month in the Census survey, in line with the District of Columbia median of $1,954. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $2,204; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in District of Columbia, DC who travel to a workplace spend an average of 30.0 minutes each way, in line with the District of Columbia average of 30.0. 33.0% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.