Washington, D.C., had a civilian labor force of 402,600 people and an unemployment rate of 5.7% in March 2026. The wider Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area had 3,299,600 nonfarm jobs in August 2026, with professional and business services, government, and education and health services among its largest employment groups.
On this page
- Washington, D.C. labor force and unemployment
- District payroll employment by sector
- Washington metro employment by industry
- Occupational employment shares and wages
- Business and finance occupations
- Employment changes and regional job centers
Washington, D.C. labor force and unemployment
The District’s resident labor market and its payroll job count measure different things. The labor-force figures below describe residents who are working or looking for work, while payroll figures count jobs located in the District. That distinction matters in a city where many people commute across jurisdictional boundaries.
In March 2026, Washington, D.C.’s civilian labor force was 402,600 people. Of that total, 379,700 residents were employed and 22,900 were unemployed. The resulting unemployment rate was 5.7%.
The March 2026 figures were lower than a year earlier on all three underlying counts. The labor force was 14,600 smaller than in March 2025, the employment total was 12,300 lower, and the number of unemployed residents was 2,400 lower. These year-over-year changes should be read as changes in the measured resident labor market, not as a direct count of District job openings or layoffs.
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan division had 932,800 employed people in March 2026. This is a different geography from the District itself, so the two employment totals should not be added together. The resident labor-force and unemployment figures come from the Employment Status for the Civilian Population: District of Columbia, Washington Metropolitan Division and Statistical Area, March 2026 report.
District payroll employment by sector
Seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment in the District of Columbia was 719,900 jobs in August 2026. Government was the largest listed sector, with 208,100 jobs. Professional and business services followed with 160,500 jobs, while education and health services accounted for 125,500 jobs.
Other major District payroll categories included leisure and hospitality, with 76,000 jobs; other services, with 62,700; and trade, transportation, and utilities, with 29,600. Financial activities had 24,800 jobs, information had 17,500, and mining, logging, and construction had 14,200.
| District sector | Jobs, August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Government | 208,100 |
| Professional and business services | 160,500 |
| Education and health services | 125,500 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 76,000 |
| Other services | 62,700 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 29,600 |
| Financial activities | 24,800 |
| Information | 17,500 |
| Mining, logging, and construction | 14,200 |
Government payroll employment was down 5.9% from August 2025 to August 2026. The source reports the sector values as seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment, so they are not the same measure as the March resident employment estimate. The District sector figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ District of Columbia: Nonfarm employment and labor force data, seasonally adjusted.
Washington metro employment by industry
The broader Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area had 3,299,600 nonfarm jobs in August 2026. Its job base was spread across a larger set of industries than the District’s, including manufacturing and a substantial regional construction sector.
Professional and business services was the largest industry listed, with 777,700 jobs. Government had 663,300 jobs, and education and health services had 489,200. Trade, transportation, and utilities accounted for 399,600 jobs, while leisure and hospitality accounted for 331,200.
Financial activities represented 152,900 metro-area jobs. Mining, logging, and construction had 172,300 jobs; information had 79,000; and manufacturing had 56,000.
| Washington metro industry | Jobs, August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Professional and business services | 777,700 |
| Government | 663,300 |
| Education and health services | 489,200 |
| Trade, transportation, and utilities | 399,600 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 331,200 |
| Mining, logging, and construction | 172,300 |
| Financial activities | 152,900 |
| Information | 79,000 |
| Manufacturing | 56,000 |
Professional and business services employment in the metro area was down 2.1% year over year in August 2026. The metro-area figures are reported for Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, rather than for the District alone. The industry data are from the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Economy at a Glance.
Occupational employment shares and wages
Occupation-level statistics show how employment is distributed across types of work and how average pay differs between them. In May 2025, business and financial operations represented 11.8% of Washington-area employment and had a mean wage of $56.46 per hour. Management occupations represented 10.2% and had a mean wage of $82.75 per hour.
Computer and mathematical occupations represented 7.4% of employment and had a mean wage of $66.87 per hour. Office and administrative support represented 9.2% and had a mean wage of $28.01 per hour. Sales and related occupations represented 6.9% and had a mean wage of $28.23 per hour.
Several occupational groups combined meaningful employment shares with higher mean wages. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations represented 4.9% of employment and paid a mean $57.92 per hour. Architecture and engineering represented 1.8% and paid $59.69 per hour, while life, physical, and social science represented 1.9% and paid $60.87 per hour.
Legal occupations represented 2.2% of employment and had the highest listed mean hourly wage in this group, at $91.10. Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media represented 2.1% and paid $49.19 per hour. Community and social service represented 1.5% and paid $35.07 per hour.
| Occupational group | Employment share | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| Management | 10.2% | $82.75 |
| Business and financial operations | 11.8% | $56.46 |
| Computer and mathematical | 7.4% | $66.87 |
| Legal | 2.2% | $91.10 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | 4.9% | $57.92 |
| Educational instruction and library | 6.1% | $36.62 |
| Food preparation and serving | 8.1% | $20.97 |
| Office and administrative support | 9.2% | $28.01 |
The Occupational Employment and Wages in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria — May 2025 release also reports 6.1% of employment in educational instruction and library occupations, with a mean wage of $36.62 per hour. Food preparation and serving related occupations represented 8.1% and paid $20.97 per hour.
Other measured groups included protective service at 3.1% of employment and $34.49 per hour; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance at 3.3% and $20.30; construction and extraction at 3.6% and $32.76; installation, maintenance, and repair at 2.8% and $33.49; and transportation and material moving at 5.6% and $27.16.
Business and finance occupations
Business and financial operations occupations totaled 369,190 jobs in the Washington area in May 2025. Two detailed occupations illustrate the scale and pay of this part of the labor market.
Management analysts totaled 62,360 jobs and had a mean annual wage of $145,310. Business operations specialists, all other totaled 76,600 jobs and had a mean annual wage of $113,390. These are occupational estimates for the Washington area measured in May 2025, not current District payroll totals or forecasts.
The distinction between occupational and industry data is useful for interpreting the region. A business and financial occupation can be employed by government, professional services, finance, health care, or another industry. Conversely, a single industry can contain many different occupations. The business and wage figures are from the May 2025 Washington-area occupational employment and wage release.
Employment changes and regional job centers
Earlier year-over-year data show a mixed employment picture across Washington’s metro economy. Total metro nonfarm employment increased by 26,700 jobs from April 2024 to April 2025. Education and health services added 16,300 jobs, including a 15,900-job increase in health care and social assistance. Mining, logging, and construction added 10,500 jobs.
Professional and business services moved in the opposite direction, losing 8,900 jobs year over year in April 2025. This change is distinct from the later August 2026 measure showing the sector at 777,700 jobs and down 2.1% year over year; the dates and measures should not be treated as a single continuous estimate.
The April 2025 distribution also shows how employment is divided among the area’s job centers. The Arlington-Alexandria-Reston division held 48% of Washington metro nonfarm employment. The Washington, DC-MD division held 34%, and the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda division held 18%.
| Washington metro division | Share of metro nonfarm employment, April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Arlington-Alexandria-Reston | 48% |
| Washington, DC-MD | 34% |
| Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda | 18% |
Together, these division shares describe the geographic concentration of metro employment in April 2025. They do not identify where every District resident worked, and they should not be substituted for the March 2026 District labor-force figures. The change and regional-distribution figures come from Washington Area Employment — April 2025.