Salaries in District of Columbia, United States
Reference period May 2025 · Data updated
District of Columbia has a published median for 19 of the 20 occupations we track from this source.
The best-paid is lawyer at $195,190; the lowest of the tracked roles is teacher at $82,750.
15 of these roles pay more than 3% above the national median here, 0 pay more than 3% below it and 4 are within 3%.
The largest gap is for paralegal: 43% above the national figure.
Across all occupations the median wage is $91,540, against $50,980 nationally.
Its largest cities by GeoNames population are Washington, Downtown DC, Columbia Heights.
Pay by role in District of Columbia
| Role | Median Observed | vs United States Derived |
|---|---|---|
| LawyerLawyers | $195,190 | +22% |
| Marketing ManagerMarketing Managers | $177,170 | +6% |
| ActuaryActuaries | $166,230 | +28% |
| PharmacistPharmacists | $153,400 | +9% |
| Electrical EngineerElectrical Engineers | $143,000 | +19% |
| School PrincipalEducation Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $137,470 | +30% |
| Software EngineerSoftware Developers | $136,880 | +1% |
| Cybersecurity AnalystInformation Security Analysts | $135,090 | +5% |
| Mechanical EngineerMechanical Engineers | $133,300 | +28% |
| Data ScientistData Scientists | $126,490 | +5% |
| Frontend DeveloperWeb Developers | $114,690 | +24% |
| AccountantAccountants and Auditors | $111,530 | +33% |
| Financial AnalystFinancial and Investment Analysts | $105,780 | +3% |
| Project ManagerProject Management Specialists | $104,900 | +3% |
| Civil EngineerCivil Engineers | $103,880 | +3% |
| Registered NurseRegistered Nurses | $102,540 | +5% |
| Physical TherapistPhysical Therapists | $101,640 | -1% |
| ParalegalParalegals and Legal Assistants | $89,750 | +43% |
| TeacherSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $82,750 | +15% |
Roles without a link have too few reliable published figures, or differ too little from the national figure, for a separate page; their figure is shown here instead.
Largest cities
- Washington: population 689,545 (GeoNames)
- Downtown DC: population 52,560 (GeoNames)
- Columbia Heights: population 38,000 (GeoNames)
- Mount Pleasant: population 35,842 (GeoNames)
- Central 14th Street / Spring Road: population 25,899 (GeoNames)
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Source, method and data quality
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Reference period: May 2025. Updates: Yearly (spring release).
- Observed figures are copied from the published table without adjustment. Derived figures (rankings, ratios and differences) are calculated by us from those observed figures. No figure on this page is modeled or estimated.
- Relative standard error (PRSE) published per estimate.
- Place hierarchy from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data last updated: .
- Full method: methodology.