How much do households in the Washington, DC area spend on rent?
Refreshed annually
About $2,027, or 29.7% of their income, in 2020–2024. This is measured by comparing median, or average, rent and median monthly income for renting households.
$2.03K
median monthly rent in Washington, DC area (2020–2024)
29.7%
average share of income spent on rent in Washington, DC area (2020–2024)
Comparing rent to renter income provides one measure of rental affordability. The Washington, DC area (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area)’s median rent was about $2,027 per month in 2020–2024. Typical monthly income among renting households was about $6,827 per month during that same period.
A typical household spent about $2,027 on rent in the Washington, DC area.
Median gross rent and median renter household income, 2020–2024
Dividing rent by income provides what is called a rent-to-income ratio. A higher ratio of rent-to-income indicates rent is less affordable while a lower ratio indicates greater affordability.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development considers households with a rent-to-income ratio of more than 30%, that is, households that spend more than 30% their income on housing, to be cost-burdened. Cost-burdened households may have less money for other necessities such as food, healthcare, or savings. When median monthly rent is more than 30% of median monthly income, it means a typical household would meet the definition of housing cost-burdened.
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Do households in the Washington, DC area spend more or less on rent than other large metros?
The large metro median rent-to-income ratio was 31.9%.
Ratio of median gross rent to median renter household income, 2020–2024
The Washington, DC area is a large metro, which have over 1 million people. Compared to other large metros, the Washington, DC area’s rent-to income ratio is lower than is typical. The average among large metros was 31.9% in 2020–2024, 2 percentage points higher than in the Washington, DC area.
Renter income and rent, large metro areas (2020–2024)
| 1. | $10,148 | |
| 2. | $7,944 | |
| 3. | $6,827 | |
| 4. | $6,551 | |
| 5. | $6,501 | |
| 6. | $5,887 | |
| 7. | $5,874 | |
| 8. | $5,869 | |
| 9. | $5,709 | |
| 10. | $5,470 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
