What is the average wage in Washington, DC?
Data updated January 22, 2025
About $1.9K per week in November 2024, 1.0% higher than a year before. The average weekly wage, the typical earnings that employees bring home for one week of work, is a valuable indicator to assess economic conditions, labor market health, and wage trends. When accounting for the cost of living, Washington, DC’s average weekly wage of $1,857 has the purchasing power of $1,676.
Showing data for
$1.9K
average weekly earnings, November 2024
1.0%
higher than a year before (adjusted for inflation)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases monthly statistics tracking the wages of all employees who don’t work for the government. In November 2024, the average weekly wage in Washington, DC was $1,857. That represents the wages of 548 thousand private-sector workers in the state.
As of November 2024, average weekly earnings for workers in Washington, DC was higher than the US overall.
12-month rolling average of average weekly earnings, adjusted for inflation
As with other averages, most people earn more or less than the average weekly wage. Pay varies based on industry and occupation.
Subscribe to get unbiased, data-driven insights sent to your inbox weekly.
In Washington, DC, workers in the professional and business services sector had the highest average weekly earnings at $2,351 per week, as of September 2024. Leisure and hospitality workers had the lowest average weekly wage at $884.
In Washington, DC, professional and business services workers had the highest average weekly wage.
Cost of living, which also varies based on location, impacts how far a person’s earnings can go. Someone earning the weekly average will have more or less purchasing power depending on location. In Washington, DC, cost of living is higher than the US overall, and the state’s average weekly wage of $1,857 has purchasing power equal to $1,676.
Washington, DC's average weekly wage is above the national average.
Accounting for cost of living, Washington, DC had an average weekly wage of $1,676 in November 2024.
Average weekly wage, November 2024, adjusted with regional price parity (2023)
Among the [nan] metro areas at least partially located in [Washington, D.C.], the [Washington, DC average] has the highest average weekly wage of [$1,676]. When accounting for cost of living, the [Washington, DC area] has the highest average weekly wage at [$1,298].
Change location to see this data for other areas
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
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.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional Data
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey
