Question 1

What is the cost of living in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

District of Columbia's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parity) is 108.88, where 100 equals the U.S. average. That means everyday goods, services, and housing cost about 8.9% more than the national average. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $2,146/month.

Question 2

What is the average salary in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

Across the 100 BLS-tracked occupation categories with published data in District of Columbia, the average median wage is $152,535. The single highest-paying occupation here is Neurologists at $332,000/year (BLS OEWS).

Question 3

What are the highest-paying jobs in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

Based on BLS OEWS data, the top-paying occupations in District of Columbia are: 1) Neurologists at $332,000; 2) Emergency Medicine Physicians at $318,200; 3) Podiatrists at $265,740; 4) Family Medicine Physicians at $233,390; 5) General Internal Medicine Physicians at $223,250. Click any occupation above to see the full wage breakdown (10th to 90th percentile).

Question 4

How much does it cost to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in District of Columbia?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-bedroom unit in District of Columbia is $2,146/month. FMR is the rent level HUD uses to administer housing assistance and reflects the 40th percentile of standard-quality rentals, updated annually.

Question 5

Where does AffordMap's District of Columbia data come from?

Accepted Answer

Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Rent comes from HUD Fair Market Rents. All three are federal datasets, updated annually, and free to use. AffordMap pairs them so you can see what a salary actually buys after local costs.

Rank	Occupation	Category	Median salary	Hourly
21	Purchasing Managers	Management	$176K	$84.48/hr
22	Marine Engineers and Naval Architects	Engineering	$172K	$82.85/hr
23	General and Operations Managers	Management	$168K	$80.77/hr
24	Life Scientists, All Other	Science	$168K	$80.6/hr
25	Economists	Science	$168K	$80.57/hr
26	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	Education	$168K	N/A
27	Actuaries	Technology	$166K	$79.92/hr
28	Computer Hardware Engineers	Engineering	$163K	$78.54/hr
29	Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	Education	$162K	N/A
30	Compensation and Benefits Managers	Management	$161K	$77.4/hr

Top Paying Jobs in District of Columbia

Highest paying careers in District of Columbia

Affordability snapshot: District of Columbia

Metro areas in District of Columbia