District Of Columbia Population 2019

713,244

Washington, D.C., also known simply as D.C. or the District, is the capital of the United States. Washington, D.C. is a federal district under the jurisdiction of Congress, and thus is not a part of any state in the United States. The District was formed from land donated by Virginia and Maryland and named in honor of George Washington. In 2019, Washington, D.C. has an estimated population of 713,244. Washington, D.C. has an estimated population of 713,244 in 2019, which makes it the 22nd most populous city in the U.S. If Washington, DC were a state, it would be the 49th most populous ahead of Wyoming and Vermont.

Washington, DC Area and Population Density

This district is a particularly small area, encompassing only 68 square miles of land and water. Only 61 square miles of land are available, and yet, this tiny area has the title of the highest density of population in the nation. It has a population density of 11,535 people per square mile. During the work week, however, the population swells to more than one million as commuters come from Virginia and Maryland. The Washington metropolitan area has a population estimated at over 6 million, which makes it the 7th largest metro area in the United States. If the District is included with Baltimore and the suburbs, the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area has a population of more than 9 million, which makes it the 4th largest CSA in the country.

Washington, DC Demographics

The median age in Washington, DC is 33.8 years, with a slight gender gap of 52.5% female, and 47.5% male spread across the state.

D.C's racial diversity can be seen below, featuring 48.3% African Americans, 40.4% Caucasians, 4.5% other race, 3.6% Asian, 2.8% two or more races, and .3% Native Americans/Native Alaskans.

There are many religions represented in Washington, DC, including Baptist (17%), Catholic (13%), Evangelical Protestant (6%), Methodist (4%), Episcopalian (3%), Jewish (2%), Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal, Buddhist, Adventist, Lutheran, Muslim, Buddhist, Mormon, Hindu and Presbyterian.

Washington DC Creation, Census, and Boundary History

The District of Columbia was formed in 1791 from territory ceded by Maryland and Virginia, but remained in some respects under their jurisdiction until the National government moved there in 1800. The District included the existing small cities of Georgetown and Alexandria as well as the site chosen for the Nation's new capital, Washington. In 1846 the portion south of the Potomac River, including Alexandria, was retroceded to Virginia.

In 1800 the census reported the District as part of Maryland and Virginia. All populations shown in the table exclude the portion returned to Virginia in 1846.

District Of Columbia Population Chart

Washington, DC Population Growth

The District's population has made more than a 7.5% increase since the 2010 Census, continuing a trend of growth set since 2000 after 50 years of decline. In 2010, Washington, DC was the 24th most populous city. The Washington, DC area currently ranks 5th among metro areas in the US for population growth. According to officials, the growth is due to people migrating to the area from other parts of the US. Growth is expected to continue into the future, with projections showing that the population may exceed 718,000 by 2030.

Population Data via US Census

District Of Columbia Growth Rate

District Of Columbia Population Rank

Year Pop % Change
2020722,8801.35%
2019713,2441.37%
2018703,6081.39%
2017693,9721.41%
2016684,3361.72%
2015672,7361.81%
2014660,7971.64%
2013650,1142.28%
2012635,6302.47%
2011620,3362.53%
2010605,0400.56%
2000572,059-0.59%
1990606,900-0.50%
1980638,333-1.68%
1970756,510-0.10%
1960763,956-0.49%
1950802,1781.92%
1940663,0913.14%
1930486,8691.07%
1920437,5712.83%
1910331,0691.74%
1900278,7181.92%
1890230,3922.64%
1880177,6243.04%
1870131,7005.78%
186075,0803.80%
185051,6874.36%
184033,7451.10%
183030,2612.63%
182023,3364.20%
181015,4716.63%
18008,1440.00%

District Of Columbia Population Data

District Of Columbia Population in 2018Source: [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

  • The second president of the U.S.- John Adams- was the first president to ever live in the White House. He moved in on November 1st of 1800. Construction was not completed while George Washington was in office.
  • The Washington Monument was the tallest manmade structure of its time when it was erected in 1884. Just five years later, the Eiffel Tower in Paris overtook the honor.
  • Washington, D.C., gets an average precipitation of over 39 inches of rainfall per year. That amount is approximately 2 inches more precipitation than Seattle sees annually.
  • Over 177 embassies and numerous international cultural centers are located in the District of Columbia.
  • The Smithsonian Museums have an astounding collection of almost 156 million items.
  • The D.C. Metro is the second busiest subway system in the nation.
  • The Old Stone House is the oldest building on its original foundation in D.C. and dates back to 1765.
  • The Residence Act of 1790 designated a site along the Potomac River as the country's permanent capital.
  • Fifteen percent of D.C.'s residents speak a language other than English.

District Of Columbia Facts

District Of Columbia Population Density by County

District of Columbia

  • Population693,972
  • Density11349.60 per sq km
  • Growth Since 201014.70%
  • State Rank1
  • % of State100.00%

District Of Columbia Population Growth Rate by County

Population by Race

Race Population
Black or African American321,062
White273,471
Some Other Race30,961
Asian25,558
Two or More Races19,293
American Indian and Alaska Native1,757
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander289

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table B03002

District Of Columbia Population Pyramid 2019

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S0101

District Of Columbia Median Age

33.9


Total

33.8


Male

34.1


Female

District Of Columbia Adults

There are 554,333 adults, (79,769 of whom are seniors) in District Of Columbia.

District Of Columbia Age Dependency

41.7

Age Dependency Ratio

16.8

Old Age Dependency Ratio

24.9

Child Dependency Ratio

District Of Columbia Sex Ratio

Female

353,345

52.55%

Male

319,046

47.45%

District Of Columbia Households and Families

District Of Columbia Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S1101

District Of Columbia Household Types

Type Owner Renter
Married64.8%35.2%
All41.7%58.3%
Male37.2%62.8%
Non Family34%66%
Female32.4%67.6%

41.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

District Of Columbia Households by Type

Type Count Average Size Owned
All277,9852.2841.7
Non Family156,5741.4234
Married70,3593.1664.8
Female40,9603.7132.4
Male10,0923.5637.2

3.25

Average Family Size

2.28

Average Household Size

5.5%

Unmarried (Opposite Sex)

1.2%

Unmarried (Same Sex)

District Of Columbia Households

District Of Columbia Education

District Of Columbia Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Education Attained Count Percentage
Less Than 9th Grade18,8893.95%
9th to 12th Grade27,6085.78%
High School Graduate84,11917.60%
Some College62,20313.02%
Associates Degree14,6013.06%
Bachelors Degree113,83023.82%
Graduate Degree156,59332.77%

District Of Columbia Educational Attainment by Race

Name Total High School Bachelors
Black216,598185,31755,272
White189,407188,202172,578
Hispanic45,73632,61721,096
Asian19,60318,38615,625
Other Race19,01010,7245,337
Multiple Races10,71610,0187,416
Native American1,3751,222712
Islander243243152

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 91.11%.

District Of Columbia Earnings by Educational Attainment

Name Average Male Female
Overall$59,284$63,921$54,246
Less Than High School$23,843$25,730$21,694
High School Grad$29,871$30,925$27,802
Some College$39,383$41,330$36,525
Bachelors Degree$64,934$72,782$57,772
Graduate Degree$89,265$99,170$80,675

$59,284

Average Earnings

$63,921

Average Male

$54,246

Average Female

District Of Columbia Language

District Of Columbia Language by Age

District Of Columbia Language

82.49% of District Of Columbia residents speak only English, while 17.51% speak other languages. The largest non-English language is Spanish, which is spoken by 8.99% of the population.

District Of Columbia Poverty

District Of Columbia Poverty by Race

Name Total In Poverty Poverty Rate
Black307,47781,28726.44%
White227,10214,8686.55%
Hispanic69,1389,66513.98%
Other30,2765,42917.93%
Asian23,5063,69715.73%
Multiple18,1731,93010.62%
Native1,72041023.84%
Islander2763010.87%

17.39%

Overall Poverty Rate

15.68%

Male Poverty Rate

18.93%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in District Of Columbia

The race most likely to be in poverty in District Of Columbia is Black, with 26.44% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in District Of Columbia is White, with 6.55% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.79%. Among those working part-time, it was 22.61%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 36.42%.

District Of Columbia Poverty Rate by Education

Name Poverty
Less Than High School33.34%
High School25.18%
Some College16.94%
Bachelors or Greater5.63%

District Of Columbia Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Name Poverty
Female Unemployed47.42%
Male Unemployed36.04%
Female Employed6.89%
Male Employed4.78%

District Of Columbia Income

District Of Columbia Income by Household Type

Name Median Mean
Households$77,649$116,090
Families$95,995$146,574
Married Families$157,559$206,955
Non Families$65,922$89,707

District Of Columbia Marital Status

District Of Columbia Marital Status

Marriage Rates

28.5%

Overall Marriage Rate

31.1%

Male Marriage Rate

26.1%

Female Marriage Rate

District Of Columbia Married by Age and Sex

District Of Columbia Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35To44.

District Of Columbia Marital Status by Race


Data via US Census (2017 ACS 5-Year Survey): Table S1201

District Of Columbia Veterans

District Of Columbia Veterans by War

27,695

Number of Veterans

24,247

Male Veterans

3,448

Female Veterans

Name Veterans
Vietnam8,265
Second Gulf War6,227
First Gulf War5,450
Korea2,726
World War II1,572

District Of Columbia Veterans by Age

Name Veterans
35 to 547,010
75+6,855
65 to 745,569
55 to 645,081
18 to 343,180

District Of Columbia Veterans by Race

Name Veterans % of Total
Black15,4766.15%
White10,8684.54%
Hispanic1,4962.85%
2 or More5944.63%
Other3581.63%
Asian2250.97%
Indian16711.29%
Hawaiian72.42%

District Of Columbia Veterans by Education

11.71%

Veteran Poverty Rate

25.05%

Veteran Disability Rate

District Of Columbia Employment Status

District Of Columbia Employment by Age

69.5%

Labor Force Participation

63.4%

Employment Rate

8%

Unemployment Rate

District Of Columbia Employment by Race

District Of Columbia Employment by Education

District Of Columbia Nativity

District Of Columbia Citizenship Status

Data Sources
  1. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  2. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  4. Census QuickFacts
  5. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

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