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District of Columbia

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Employment in D.C. grew by 1,600 jobs (0.2 percent) in August. The unemployment rate remained at 5.0 percent.

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Labor market icon showing three people Labor Market Conditions

  • Employment in the District of Columbia fell by 1,600 jobs (0.2 percent), on net, in August. Professional and business services saw the largest decline month-over-month (300 jobs). Education and health services experienced the biggest job gain (1,000 jobs).
  • On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in the District of Columbia increased by 10,800 jobs (1.4 percent), on net, but employment in August was still 3.4 percent below its pre-pandemic level from February 2020. The most jobs were added over the year in leisure and hospitality (6,800 jobs), while the most were lost in government (1,300 jobs).
  • The unemployment rate in the District of Columbia remained at 5.0 percent in August and was up 1.1 percentage point on a year-over-year basis. Still, the unemployment rate was 0.7 percentage point below its pre-pandemic value from February 2020.

Housing Market icon showing a picture of a house Housing Market Conditions

  • D.C. issued 120 new residential permits in August, down from the 299 issued in July and down from the 1555 permits issued in August 2022.
  • According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, home values in D.C. depreciated 3.9 percent from the second quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2023.
Snapshot Resources
  • Term Definitions

    Payroll Employment
    The number of nonfarm jobs (persons on payrolls) according to where those jobs are located.

    Unemployment Rate
    The number of unemployed persons (those not employed but available and searching for work) as a percent of the civilian labor force (the total number of employed plus unemployed persons).

    Industry Structure
    A breakdown of total nonfarm jobs by industry. Percentages sum to 100 percent.

    Industry Growth
    The percentage change in jobs in each industry from a year ago.

    Building Permits
    The number of privately owned single-family and multi-family units authorized in permit-issuing places.

    House Price Index
    A repeat sales index, measuring average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same single-family properties.

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