Can you afford to live in Washington?

Median household income, home values and rent in Washington, DC — how they've changed since 2015 and how much of a typical paycheck housing takes compared with the rest of the country.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

This story was assembled using AI and public data sources.

What it costs to live in Washington.

Median household income: $106,287 — +50.0% since 2015 (not adjusted for inflation)

Median gross rent: $1,900/mo — +43.2% since 2015

Median home value, 2015 to 2023

• 2015: 475800
• 2023: 724600

Median household income

• Washington: 106287
• District of Columbia: 106287
• DC: 106287
• U.S.: 78538

Median gross rent

• Washington: 1900
• District of Columbia: 1900
• DC: 1900
• U.S.: 1348

Share of income a typical renter spends on rent: 28.5% — U.S.: 30.2%

What it means

The typical household here earns $106,287 — far higher than the national figure of $78,538.

The typical renter here spends 28.5% of household income on rent, below the 30% cost-burden line.

Since 2015, income has kept pace with rent here (+50.0% versus +43.2%), before adjusting for inflation.