What is the poverty rate in District of Columbia?
Updated monthly
About 17.3% of District of Columbia’s population in 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 116,544 people in District of Columbia were considered in poverty.
17.3%
of the population (2024)
117K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
Based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010, District of Columbia's poverty rate hit a peak in 2010 of 19.2%. Its lowest point was in 2022 at 13.3%. The state's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, 3.3 percentage points higher than the previous year.
In 2024, 17.3% of District of Columbia population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 116,544 people living in District of Columbia were in poverty — down 3.1% from the 2016 peak of 120,308.
In 2024, 116,500 people in District of Columbia were in poverty.
People living under poverty line
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in the District of Columbia increased from 26% to 28.3%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 16.1% to 14%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 14.5% to 18.2%.
In 2024, 28.3% of children in District of Columbia were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group
Among racial or ethnic groups in District of Columbia during 2024, two had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Black or African American, some other race.
Six groups had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, two or more races, and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population shifted the most, decreasing from 16.9% in 2014 to 11.9% in 2024.
In District of Columbia, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population decreased from 16.9% in 2014 to 11.9% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among District of Columbia counties ranged from 14.5% in District of Columbia to 14.5% in District of Columbia. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — District of Columbia — was 14.5%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among District of Columbia counties ranged from 14.5% to 14.5%.
Poverty rate
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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.
