District of Columbia by the numbers
In District of Columbia, the median worker earns $88,000 a year, the typical home is worth $724,600 and carries $4,180 of property tax, and the average household pays $152 a month for electricity at 25.40¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South PJM Retail choice statewide
Energy
The District generates almost no electricity. Every kilowatt-hour arrives over transmission lines into a dense urban load pocket, and the District pays both the regional energy price and the congestion cost of getting it there.
That left it maximally exposed when PJM's capacity market repriced. With no in-state generation and no ability to build any at scale, there was nothing to offset the increase, and the Standard Offer Service price moved sharply.
Delivery costs are high for the same reason they are high in Manhattan. The network is largely underground, and the District has an ongoing programme to move remaining overhead lines below ground, recovered through a dedicated surcharge.
The District also funds an ambitious set of climate and assistance programmes through the electric bill, including a sustainable energy trust fund and one of the more generous low-income discount structures in the country.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, District of Columbia households used 637 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $152. At the state median wage that is about 3.6 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, gas is still cheaper to run than a heat pump here, by about $7.14 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median District of Columbia worker earned $88,000 in 2024, 77.8% above the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Economists | 41.26× | $162,610 |
| Public Relations Managers | 24.7× | $185,810 |
| Concierges | 17.93× | $36,690 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 16.98× | $100,070 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | 15.88× | $122,320 |
Property tax
The median District of Columbia homeowner pays $4,180 a year on a home worth $724,600, an effective rate of 0.58% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 1 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in District of Columbia run at 109.9 where the national average is 100, ranking it #3 of 51. Goods sit at 106.5, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 155.0, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $88,000 therefore buys what $80,073 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (108.9) .
Housing
House prices in District of Columbia rose 1.5% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +31.0%. They remain 5.8% below the peak set in 2022.
Metro areas tracked here: Washington (-1.1%) .
Who supplies the power
1 utilities report residential service in District of Columbia, together serving 285,878 customers. Retail choice statewide.
District of Columbia: common questions
What does it cost to live in District of Columbia?
Prices overall run at 109.9 against a national average of 100, with rents at 155.0. The typical home is worth $724,600 and carries $4,180 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.58% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $152 a month at 25.40¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $88,000.
What is the property tax rate in District of Columbia?
The effective rate is 0.58% of home value, from a median bill of $4,180. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 1 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in District of Columbia?
The median wage of $88,000 buys what $80,073 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line District of Columbia falls on.
Is District of Columbia expensive for electricity?
It ranks #10 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 25.40¢ per kilowatt-hour, +37.7% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 28 of 51, because households there use 637 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in District of Columbia?
$88,000 across all occupations, about $42.31 an hour, covering 708,790 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in District of Columbia?
1 utilities report residential service, the largest being Potomac Electric Power Co with 285,878 customers. Retail choice statewide.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources