Demographics · DC
Washington, DC demographics: 681,294 residents, with a median age of 34.9 years, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 (5-year estimates).
681,294 people live in Washington, at a median age of 34.9 years (American Community Survey 2020–2024, a 5-year average)
Median age 34.9 years — younger than the U.S. median of 38.9.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)
In Washington, the largest race group is Black or African American (42.1%); 11.9% of residents are Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 14.3% were born outside the United States.
ACS 2020–2024 · B01001 / B01002
The median age in Washington is 34.9 years (±0.1), younger than the U.S. median of 38.9 years. The population is 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The largest age band is 25 to 34 at 22.0%.
| Age band | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 40,453 | 5.9% | ±68 |
| 5 to 17 | 86,861 | 12.7% | ±2,082 |
| 18 to 24 | 65,061 | 9.5% | ±1,545 |
| 25 to 34 | 150,199 | 22.0% | ±187 |
| 35 to 44 | 113,747 | 16.7% | ±2,083 |
| 45 to 54 | 72,373 | 10.6% | ±82 |
| 55 to 64 | 65,441 | 9.6% | ±1,910 |
| 65 to 74 | 50,502 | 7.4% | ±1,753 |
| 75 and over | 36,657 | 5.4% | ±1,298 |
Median age by sex: 34.8 (male) · 34.9 (female).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B01001 sex by age, B01002 median age) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B02001 / B03003
The largest race group in Washington is Black or African American at 42.1% of the population. Separately, 11.9% of residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Race and Hispanic origin are two different questions on the census form, so their shares are reported separately and are not additive.
| Race (alone, or two or more) | People | Share | ± margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| White alone | 258,050 | 37.9% | ±1,318 |
| Black or African American alone | 286,997 | 42.1% | ±2,136 |
| American Indian & Alaska Native alone | 2,528 | 0.4% | ±604 |
| Asian alone | 29,748 | 4.4% | ±641 |
| Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander alone | 336 | 0.0% | ±108 |
| Some other race alone | 37,984 | 5.6% | ±2,774 |
| Two or more races | 65,651 | 9.6% | ±2,830 |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 81,152 | 11.9% | n/a |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B02001 race, B03003 Hispanic or Latino origin) · place-grain · margins of error at the 90% confidence level · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B11001 / B25010
Washington has 324,491 households. 40.8% are family households and 47.3% are people living alone. The average household holds 1.99 people.
Total households
324,491
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B11001
Avg household size
1.99
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr · B25010 · ±0.01
Family households
40.8%
Share of all households · B11001
Living alone
47.3%
Share of all households · B11001
| Household type | Households | ± margin |
|---|---|---|
| Total households | 324,491 | ±1,816 |
| Family households | 132,514 | ±2,798 |
| Nonfamily households | 191,977 | ±3,036 |
| Householder living alone | 153,560 | ±2,868 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B11001 household type, B25010 average household size) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B05002 / C16001
14.3% of Washington residents were born outside the United States. 80.9% of residents age 5 and over speak only English at home. The most-spoken non-English language at home is Spanish (9.4%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign-born share | 14.3% | 97,388 people · B05002 |
| Speak only English at home (age 5+) | 80.9% | C16001 |
| Top non-English language at home | 9.4% | Spanish · 60,423 speakers · C16001 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B05002 place of birth, C16001 language spoken at home) · place-grain · methodology →
ACS 2020–2024 · B15003
64.2% of adults age 25 and over in Washington hold a bachelor's degree or higher (the U.S. share is about 35%).
| Measure | Value | Source / grain |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 64.2% | B15003 lines 22–25 over line 1 · place-grain |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 (B15003 educational attainment, population 25+) · place-grain · methodology →
Sources · provenance
The GEOID for Washington is 1150000. Every figure on this page is a place-grain American Community Survey 5-Year 2020–2024 estimate (ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024 (released 2026-01-29)) shown with its margin of error. Full per-dataset detail: /sources/.