American Community Survey (ACS)

Population and Housing Profile:  the District of Columbia

NOTES: The population estimates in this profile are limited to the household population and exclude the population living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters.  

In the narrative profile below, if one sample estimate is larger than another, it does not necessarily mean that the same holds for their true values for the entire population. These estimates are derived from a sample of housing units and measure the true values with a degree of uncertainty. In the tabular profiles this uncertainty is represented by the 90 percent confidence interval given for each estimate. For further information on confidence intervals see the Accuracy of the Data document.

Caution should be used when comparing data by race for years before 1999 with those for 2000 due to the Census Bureau's implementation of the October 1997 revised standards for data on race and ethnicity. For the 2000 data, respondents may report one or more races and there are seven (American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White, Some other race, and Two or more races) instead of five racial tabulation categories. The Two or more races category includes all respondents who reported more than one race. See the methodology section for more details regarding these changes.

In addition, caution should be used when comparing population numbers by age, race, and sex for 2000 with all earlier years. The numbers for 2000 have been weighted to be generally consistent with Census 2000 counts.

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. Percentages are based on unrounded numbers

For information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, and definitions, go to the American Community Survey web site www.census.gov/acs/www/ and click on Advanced Methodology.

POPULATION OF the District of Columbia: In 2000, the District of Columbia had a household population of 536,000 - 286,000 (53 percent) females and 250,000 (47 percent) males. The median age was 35.4 years. Twenty-one percent of the population were under 18 years and 12 percent were 65 years and older.

For people reporting one race alone, 31 percent were White; 63 percent were Black or African American; less than 0.5 percent were American Indian and Alaska Native; 3 percent were Asian; less than 0.5 percent were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 4 percent were Some other race. Two percent reported Two or more races. Eight percent of the people in the District of Columbia were Hispanic. Twenty-seven percent of the people in the District of Columbia were White non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES: In 2000 there were 244,000 households in the District of Columbia. The average household size was 2.2 people.

Families made up 44 percent of the households in the District of Columbia. This figure includes both married-couple families (21 percent) and other families (23 percent). Nonfamily households made up 56 percent of all households in the District of Columbia. Most of the nonfamily households were people living alone, but some were comprised of people living in households in which no one was related to the householder.

NATIVITY AND LANGUAGE: Thirteen percent of the people living in the District of Columbia in 2000 were foreign born. Eighty-seven percent were native, including 50 percent who were born in the District of Columbia.

Among people at least five years old living in the District of Columbia in 2000, 15 percent spoke a language other than English at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 53 percent spoke Spanish and 47 percent spoke some other language; 39 percent reported that they did not speak English "very well."

GEOGRAPHIC MOBILITY: In 2000, 82 percent of the people at least one year old living in the District of Columbia were living in the same residence one year earlier; 9 percent had moved during the past year from another residence in the the District of Columbia, 7 percent from one of the states, and 2 percent from abroad.

EDUCATION: In 2000, 82 percent of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 41 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among people 16 to 19 years old, 13 percent were dropouts; they were not enrolled in school and had not graduated from high school.

The total school enrollment in the District of Columbia was 136,000 in 2000. Preprimary school enrollment was 17,000 and elementary or high school enrollment was 79,000 children. College enrollment was 40,000.

DISABILITY: In the District of Columbia, among people at least five years old in 2000, 14 percent reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7 percent of people 5 to 20 years old, to 12 percent of people 21 to 64 years old, and to 39 percent of those 65 and older.

INDUSTRIES: In 2000, for the employed population 16 years and older, the leading industries in the District of Columbia were Professional and business services, 19 percent, and Educational, health, and social services, 18 percent.

OCCUPATIONS AND TYPE OF EMPLOYER: Among the most common occupations were: Management, professional, and related occupations, 50 percent; Sales and office occupations, 23 percent; Service occupations, 16 percent; Production, transportation, and material moving occupations, 6 percent; and Construction, extraction, and maintenance occupations, 5 percent. Seventy-one percent of the people employed were Private wage and salary workers; 23 percent were Federal, state, or local government workers; and 6 percent were Self-employed.

TRAVEL TO WORK: Forty percent of the District of Columbia workers drove to work alone in 2000, 8 percent carpooled, 35 percent took public transportation, and 13 percent used other means. The remaining 4 percent worked at home. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 29 minutes to get to work.

INCOME: The median income of households in the District of Columbia was $40,926. Eighty-one percent of the households received earnings and 18 percent received retirement income other than Social Security. Twenty percent of the households received Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $8,933. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

POVERTY AND PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS: In 2000, 18 percent of people were in poverty. Thirty percent of related children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 12 percent of people 65 years old and over. Fifteen percent of all families and 28 percent of families with a female householder and no husband present had incomes below the poverty level. Twenty-three percent of the households in the District of Columbia received means-tested public assistance or noncash benefits. 

HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS: In 2000, the District of Columbia had a total of 275,000 housing units, 11.2 percent of which were vacant. Of the total housing units, 39 percent were in single-unit structures, 60 percent were in multi-unit structures, and less than 0.5 percent were mobile homes. Two percent of the housing units were built since 1990.

OCCUPIED HOUSING UNIT CHARACTERISTICS: In 2000, the District of Columbia had 244,000 occupied housing units - 94,000 (39 percent) owner occupied and 150,000 (61 percent) renter occupied. Two percent of the households did not have telephone service and 37 percent of the households did not have access to a car, truck, or van for private use. Sixteen percent had two vehicles and another 5 percent had three or more.

HOUSING COSTS: The median monthly housing costs for (specified) mortgaged owners was $1,367, (specified) nonmortgaged owners $290, and (specified) renters $637. Thirty-four percent of owners with mortgages, 10 percent of owners without mortgages, and 39 percent of renters in the District of Columbia spent 30 percent or more of household income on housing.