Median pay · District of Columbia
$91,540A year, or $44 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $39,650 | $19 |
| 25th percentile | $55,460 | $27 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $91,540 | $44 |
| 75th percentile | $144,680 | $70 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $195,190 | $94 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $111,010 | $53 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in District of ColumbiaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$91,540
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$44.01
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$5,694 a month at an effective rate of 25.4%.$68,322 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in District of Columbia sit at 109.9 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$83,293
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.79.6% above
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.701,920
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in District of Columbia: common questions
What is the average salary in District of Columbia?
$111,010 a year, or $53.37 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in District of Columbia for May 2025.
The median is lower, $91,540: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in District of Columbia?
Anything over $91,540 pays more than half the jobs in District of Columbia. $144,680 puts you in the top quarter and $195,190 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $5,694 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in District of Columbia?
By median pay: neurologists ($332,000), emergency medicine physicians ($318,200), family medicine physicians ($233,390), internal medicine physicians ($223,250) and anesthesiologists ($202,570). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in District of Columbia?
By number of jobs: general or operations managers ($168,000), lawyers ($195,190), management analysts ($126,140), public relations specialists ($102,740) and janitors ($38,520), with the median pay for each.