Washington, DC had 350,364 housing units in the 2020 Census, and 89.2% were occupied. The District’s housing profile is renter-heavy, but ownership varies substantially by ward. More recent estimates show major differences in vacancy, home values, monthly housing costs, and the pace of new construction.
Table of contents
- DC housing stock and occupancy
- Homeownership and renting by ward
- Vacancy rates across the District
- Home values, owner costs, and rents
- Home sales market conditions
- Rental market and new construction
DC housing stock and occupancy
The 2020 Census provides a baseline for the size and occupancy of the District’s housing stock. Washington, DC had 350,364 housing units in 2020. Of those units, 89.2% were occupied and 10.8% were vacant. These figures describe the District in the 2020 Census and should not be treated as a current-year estimate.
Among occupied and vacant units in that Census profile, 38.3% of all housing units were owner-occupied, while 61.7% were renter-occupied. The split shows the central role of renting in the District’s housing market: renter-occupied units represented more than three-fifths of the housing stock in 2020.
The Census 2020 figures and the 2019–2023 American Community Survey estimates below are different products and periods. The later ACS estimates are five-year estimates for the District and individual wards, rather than administrative counts.
Source: District of Columbia - Profile (2020 Census).
Homeownership and renting by ward
The 2019–2023 American Community Survey estimated that 41.1% of the District’s housing units were owner-occupied and 58.9% were renter-occupied. The ward-level estimates show a wide range around that District figure.
| Area | Owner-occupied | Renter-occupied |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 41.1% | 58.9% |
| Ward 1 | 35.7% | 64.3% |
| Ward 2 | 38.5% | 61.5% |
| Ward 3 | 50.4% | 49.6% |
| Ward 4 | 62.2% | 37.8% |
| Ward 5 | 45.0% | 55.0% |
| Ward 6 | 34.8% | 65.2% |
| Ward 7 | 44.0% | 56.0% |
| Ward 8 | 22.9% | 77.1% |
Ward 4 had the highest estimated owner-occupied share at 62.2%, followed by Ward 3 at 50.4%. Ward 5 was estimated at 45.0%, and Ward 7 at 44.0%. These were the only other wards in the supplied ACS estimates where owner-occupied units accounted for at least 40% of housing units.
The renter-occupied share was highest in Ward 8, at 77.1%. Ward 6 followed at 65.2%, while Ward 1 was 64.3% and Ward 2 was 61.5%. The District-wide estimate was 58.9%, compared with 55.0% in Ward 5 and 56.0% in Ward 7. Ward 3 had a renter-occupied share of 49.6%, and Ward 4 had the lowest renter-occupied share at 37.8%.
These are 2019–2023 ACS five-year estimates for the District and Wards 1–8. They indicate differences in the estimated tenure mix, but they do not provide administrative unit counts for each ward.
Source: 2019-2023 American Community Survey, Key Demographic Indicators.
Vacancy rates across the District
The same 2019–2023 ACS estimates put the District’s vacant-housing rate at 9.7%. The estimated homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%, and the renter vacancy rate was 6.8%. These measures describe different portions of the housing market, so the overall vacant-housing rate should not be read as the same measure as either the homeowner or renter vacancy rate.
| Area | Vacant housing | Homeowner vacancy | Renter vacancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 9.7% | 1.5% | 6.8% |
| Ward 1 | 9.3% | 1.4% | 6.8% |
| Ward 2 | 11.9% | 2.2% | 8.8% |
| Ward 3 | 9.5% | 0.9% | 6.0% |
| Ward 4 | 6.4% | 1.2% | 4.6% |
| Ward 5 | 8.7% | 0.6% | 6.3% |
| Ward 6 | 10.4% | 1.4% | 8.8% |
| Ward 7 | 9.5% | 1.9% | 4.8% |
| Ward 8 | 10.8% | 3.7% | 6.4% |
Ward 2 had the highest overall vacant-housing rate among the listed wards, at 11.9%. Ward 8 followed at 10.8%, and Ward 6 at 10.4%. Ward 1 was 9.3%, while Wards 3 and 7 were each 9.5%. Ward 5 was 8.7%, and Ward 4 had the lowest overall vacant-housing rate at 6.4%.
Homeowner vacancy estimates ranged from 0.6% in Ward 5 to 3.7% in Ward 8. Ward 2 was 2.2%, Ward 7 was 1.9%, and Wards 1 and 6 were each 1.4%. Ward 4 was 1.2%, and Ward 3 was 0.9%.
Renter vacancy was estimated at 8.8% in both Ward 2 and Ward 6. Ward 1 was 6.8%, equal to the District estimate, while Ward 5 was 6.3% and Ward 8 was 6.4%. Ward 3 was 6.0%, Ward 7 was 4.8%, and Ward 4 was 4.6%.
Source: 2019-2023 American Community Survey, Key Demographic Indicators.
Home values, owner costs, and rents
For 2020–2024, the median value of an owner-occupied home in the District was $737,100. This is a median estimated value, not a statement that every home sold for that amount or that it represents a particular neighborhood.
Median monthly owner costs differed according to mortgage status. For DC homes with a mortgage, median monthly owner costs were $3,128. For homes without a mortgage, median monthly owner costs were $899. The two figures describe different owner groups and should be compared with that distinction in mind.
Median gross rent in the District was $1,954 in 2020–2024. Together, these measures show several separate dimensions of housing expense: the estimated value of owner-occupied homes, monthly costs for mortgaged owners, monthly costs for owners without a mortgage, and gross rent for renter households.
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Median owner-occupied home value | $737,100 | 2020–2024 |
| Median monthly owner costs with a mortgage | $3,128 | 2020–2024 |
| Median monthly owner costs without a mortgage | $899 | 2020–2024 |
| Median gross rent | $1,954 | 2020–2024 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: District of Columbia.
Home sales market conditions
HUD’s Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis describes the District of Columbia housing market area, or HMA, and uses specific dates for market conditions and forecasts. As of July 1, 2022, the DC HMA sales vacancy rate was estimated at 2.1%. The analysis reported that this rate had fallen from 3.4% in 2010 to the estimated 2.1% level as of July 1, 2022.
The HMA had 2.3 months of for-sale inventory in June 2022. Months of inventory is a market-supply measure for that period; it is not a forecast of future sales and is not interchangeable with a vacancy rate.
HUD also identified 950 sales units under construction during the forecast period from July 1, 2022, through July 1, 2025. Because this is explicitly a forecast-period figure in the analysis, it should be distinguished from a completed-unit count or a current construction total.
Source: Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for District of Columbia.
Rental market and new construction
HUD estimated the DC HMA rental vacancy rate at 9.3% as of July 1, 2022. That HMA measure has a different geography and measurement date from the 9.7% vacant-housing rate and the 6.8% renter vacancy rate reported in the 2019–2023 ACS estimates. The figures should therefore be kept separate rather than combined.
Approximately 6,125 new rental units were permitted in the 12 months ending June 2022. Rental permits during that period were down 12% from the prior year. A permit is an authorization measure, so it is not the same as a completed or occupied rental unit count.
For the forecast period from July 1, 2022, through July 1, 2025, HUD reported 9,000 rental units under construction in the DC HMA. This figure is explicitly tied to the forecast period and should be read as a construction pipeline measure. It does not establish how many of those units were completed, leased, or available at a later date.
The HMA figures provide a snapshot of sales and rental conditions around 2022, alongside a clearly labeled construction forecast. The ACS and Census figures provide different perspectives: ward-level tenure and vacancy estimates for 2019–2023, a 2020 Census housing-stock baseline, and 2020–2024 housing-cost measures.
Source: Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for District of Columbia.