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Jobs in District of Columbia: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

District of Columbia has 2,381 open job postings from 393 employers in our data. 69.3% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $165,000 a year, 10.8% are remote and 40.5% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesDistrict of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia Official median wage: $91,500 Price level: 109.9 Paycheck power: $83,500$83,500Rhode IslandRhode Island Official median wage: $57,000 Price level: 102.3 Paycheck power: $55,500 Click for the full page$55,500New HampshireNew Hampshire Official median wage: $56,000 Price level: 104.2 Paycheck power: $53,500 Click for the full page$53,500MaineMaine Official median wage: $51,500 Price level: 97.1 Paycheck power: $53,000 Click for the full page$53,000MontanaMontana Official median wage: $48,500 Price level: 94.6 Paycheck power: $51,500 Click for the full page$51,500HawaiiHawaii Official median wage: $56,500 Price level: 110 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000New MexicoNew Mexico Official median wage: $47,000 Price level: 92.2 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000IdahoIdaho Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 95.5 Paycheck power: $50,000 Click for the full page$50,000Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
District of Columbia compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
2,381open postings from 393 employers
69.3%list a pay range
$165,000median posted pay
$91,500official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
5.8%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
34,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 4.5%

Pay transparency

District of Columbia requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2024).

Metro areas in District of Columbia

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV3,85661.2%$156,500

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in District of Columbia run 10% above the national average, and housing runs 55% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $91,500, which is worth $83,500 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $165,000 is worth $150,000.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the District of Columbia metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 109.9 10% above the US average (100)109.9HousingHousing: 155 55% above the US average (100)155GoodsGoods: 106.5 7% above the US average (100)106.5UtilitiesUtilities: 112.8 13% above the US average (100)112.8Other servicesOther services: 103 3% above the US average (100)103Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in District of Columbia, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they payBusiness Operations Specialist (37.8k)Business Operations Specialists, All Other 37,790 workers Median wage: $108,000$108,000General and Operations Manager (36.2k)General and Operations Managers 36,150 workers Median wage: $168,000$168,000Lawyers (33.1k)Lawyers 33,070 workers Median wage: $195,000$195,000Management Analysts (19k)Management Analysts 19,000 workers Median wage: $126,000$126,000Managers, All Other (18.6k)Managers, All Other 18,570 workers Median wage: $175,500$175,500Computer Occupations, All Othe (17.2k)Computer Occupations, All Other 17,200 workers Median wage: $156,500$156,500Public Relations Specialists (16.7k)Public Relations Specialists 16,720 workers Median wage: $102,500$102,500Janitors and Cleaners, Except (16.4k)Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 16,400 workers Median wage: $38,500$38,500Security Guards (15.9k)Security Guards 15,880 workers Median wage: $64,000$64,000Home Health and Personal Care (12.8k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 12,810 workers Median wage: $42,500$42,500Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Official wage vs posted pay, same jobMedian official wage and median posted pay for the same jobs in District of Columbia.Official wage vs posted pay, same jobOfficial median wage (BLS)Median posted paySoftware developersSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $137,000 Median posted pay: $204,000 Median posted pay is 49% aboveSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $137,000 Median posted pay: $204,000 Median posted pay is 49% above$137,000 / $204,000HR specialistsHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $111,000 Median posted pay: $170,000 Median posted pay is 53.2% aboveHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $111,000 Median posted pay: $170,000 Median posted pay is 53.2% above$111,000 / $170,000Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in District of Columbia.Open postings by industry of the employerSoftware & TechnologySoftware & Technology 786 open postings 33% of this area's postings786Consulting & Professional ServicesConsulting & Professional Services 563 open postings 23.6% of this area's postings563Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 224 open postings 9.4% of this area's postings224Healthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 149 open postings 6.3% of this area's postings149OtherOther 145 open postings 6.1% of this area's postings145Energy & UtilitiesEnergy & Utilities 107 open postings 4.5% of this area's postings107Financial ServicesFinancial Services 93 open postings 3.9% of this area's postings93Real Estate & ConstructionReal Estate & Construction 78 open postings 3.3% of this area's postings78Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Accenturefederalservices: 234 postings
  2. Andurilindustries: 174 postings
  3. Shieldai: 73 postings
  4. Anthropic: 64 postings
  5. Spacex: 57 postings

Federal government hiring

1012 federal job announcements open to the public list District of Columbia, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $130,500. Agencies hiring most: Department of the Air Force Headquarters (131), Central Intelligence Agency (46), Offices, Boards and Divisions (42), Architect of the Capitol (38), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (35). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
District of Columbia69.3%$165,000$91,500109.9$83,500
New Hampshire20.5%$125,000$56,000104.2$53,500
Maine26%$124,000$51,50097.1$53,000
Hawaii50.3%$185,500$56,500110$51,000
Idaho20.3%$100,000$48,00095.5$50,000
New Mexico15.8%$130,000$47,00092.2$51,000
Montana25%$97,500$48,50094.6$51,500

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · posted vs official chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in District of Columbia. Methodology · All states (CSV)

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