Photo: Ralf Roletschek - Infos über Fahrräder auf fahrradmonteur.de Wikis in der Ausbildung · CC BY-SA 3.0Washington has 2.1 jobs for every working resident: 422,114 people commute in to work
Washington has 625,202 jobs; 295,624 of its residents have a job. Jobs and income earn Washington B; getting around on foot earns it A+. Measured by household income, Washington is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Washington and work: the main findings
Washington is where the jobs are
Washington has 625,202 jobs, 2.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 1,023,000 people are in town, 48% more than the 694,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Many of the people who work in Washington live in another state
Arlington, VA (5%), Alexandria, VA (3%) and Silver Spring, MD (2%) are among the top places Washington’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 16% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
Nearly all the work in Washington is services
92% of the jobs based here are in services, such as health care, schools and offices. Only 3% are in factories, building or farms. The jobs ↓
Most jobs here, and most residents’ jobs, pay over $40,000
76% of Washington’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data, and so do 82% of the jobs based in Washington. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind Washington’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Washington is better than 62% of U.S. towns, #1 of 1 in District of Columbia. Job access by car holds Washington’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (6.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income.
The District of Columbia figures include the city itself, home to 102% of the state’s residents, so the city and state figures are partly the same people.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Washington could be anywhere from B to B+.
Who works in Washington, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 92,536 residents head out to work and 203,088 work right here.
About 1,023,000 people are in Washington on a workday afternoon, 48% more than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where the people who work in Washington live
Where Washington clocks in
2% of workers
2% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Most jobs in Washington are in services
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 613,016 → 625,202. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The trip to work from Washington: about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Washington workers work from home, vs 33% across District of Columbia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 250,037 commuters (the 33% who work from home are left out). Across District of Columbia: 41% drive alone, 30% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Washington
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Washington is among the most walkable U.S. towns
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Washington is among the most walkable U.S. towns, #1 of 1 in District of Columbia. Both inputs place Washington near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 373,183 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 99% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 87% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 81.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, among the most of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 36.0% of Washington households have no vehicle (District of Columbia 36.0%, U.S. 8.4%). 30% of Washington’s commuters take a bus or train.
These are town averages; neighborhoods differ.
Washington is 8th of 29 U.S. towns of 486,000 to 936,000 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hempstead NY | 795,734 | $141K | 5.9% | 5.2% | 28% | A |
| 2 | Seattle WA | 784,777 | $124K | 9.9% | 4.6% | 60% | A− |
| 3 | Brookhaven NY | 496,410 | $120K | 7.0% | 5.2% | 32% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 6 | Mesa AZ | 513,656 | $83K | 10.3% | 4.2% | 24% | B+ |
| 7 | Raleigh NC | 506,306 | $85K | 11.9% | 4.4% | 44% | B |
| 8 | Washington DC | 693,645 | $110K | 15.4% | 6.3% | 69% | B |
| 9 | Nashville TN | 745,904 | $78K | 13.9% | 4.5% | 63% | B |
| 10 | Portland OR | 635,109 | $91K | 12.7% | 5.8% | 59% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 29 | Detroit MI | 649,095 | $40K | 32.7% | 14.0% | 31% | C− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Washington, the top three, the last and three more from District of Columbia.
How Washington compares with the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Arlington (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Washington workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | – | B | A+ | 30 min | $109,870 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Washington’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Washington: questions
What is the median household income in Washington?
$109,870 (±$1,937) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $109,870 across District of Columbia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Washington?
15.4%, against 15.4% across District of Columbia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Washington?
30 minutes each way on average, against 30 across District of Columbia and 26 nationally. 33% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Washington work?
69% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Arlington (4%, 5 mi), Bethesda (2%, 8 mi), Tysons (2%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Washington walkable?
Washington is among the most walkable U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.6 out of 20, and 49% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Washington without a car?
30% of commuters take transit and 36% of households have no car. 87% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Washington, from the people who make the trip.
More of Washington
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.