District of Columbia
Fast Facts:
- DC was home to 702,250 people and had 368,736 housing units in 2024. Since 2010, DC has added an average of 7,100 people and 5,100 housing units per year.
- Fifty-eight percent of households were renters and 47 percent of renters had unaffordable housing costs.
- DC exceeded the annual production target of 4,587 units, with 6,614 new units built in 2025. Cumulatively, DC has produced at least 46,465 units since 2019, exceeding its 7-year target of 32,109.
- DC adopted the 2030 COG housing targets and established a goal of 36,000 new homes by 2025, 12,000 of which are to be affordable below 80 percent of DC's median family income. Both goals were met (PDF).
Policy Status
Solving the region's affordable housing crisis requires a portfolio of policies to preserve existing affordable housing, produce more housing, and protect people from discrimination and displacement.
Right of First Refusal
- Adopted: District of Columbia
Preservation Inventory - Subsidized
- Adopted: District of Columbia
Preservation Inventory - Unsubsidized
- Not adopted: District of Columbia
Rental Assistance Demonstration
- Adopted: District of Columbia
Energy Efficiency Upgrades for Homeowners
- Adopted: District of Columbia
Energy Efficiency Upgrades of Affordable Housing
- Adopted: District of Columbia
Housing Outcomes
Local jurisdictions submitted data to enable the region to track housing production, preservation, and rental affordability.
Amount of Housing
Number of units built by type
Affordability of Housing
Share of units affordable to households with low incomes
Accessibility of Housing
Share of affordable units in COG Activity Centers or near high-capacity transit
Housing Cost: Lowest
Units built affordable to households with incomes 0-29.9% of area median
Housing Cost: Low
Units built affordable to households with incomes 30-49.9% of area median
Housing Cost: Low-Middle
Units built affordable to households with incomes 50-79.9% of area median
Building Permits for New Construction
Number of units permitted by type
Affordable Housing in Development
Number of units
Affordable Housing Preservation
Number of units preserved as committed affordable by type
Structural Racism
Discriminatory actions and racist public policies have produced inequitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Washington region, including lower incomes and wealth, lower homeownership rates, and higher rates of housing cost burden.
Income
Average household income by race and ethnicity, 2020-24
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.
Source: American Community Survey
Homeownership
Homeownership rate by race and ethnicity, 2020-24
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white.
Source: American Community Survey
Homebuying
Share of mortgage originations by race and ethnicity, 2024
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Note: Categories are mutually exclusive, borrowers identifying as Hispanic are not also represented in a race category. For mortgages with an applicant and a co-applicant, if they identify the same way they are captured in that category, otherwise if they have different identities they would be included in the Indigenous or Multiple race category.
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Credit Denials
Ratio of denial rates for mortgages between white borrowers and borrowers of color, 2024
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Note: If White borrowers and borrowers of Color were denied mortgages at the same rate we would expect to see a ratio equal to 1. Values under 1 indicate that borrowers of Color have higher denial rates than White borrowers.
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Rental Housing Cost Burden
Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2020-24
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Owner Housing Cost Burden
Owner households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in housing costs, 2020-24
Note: Categories are not mutually exclusive. People identifying as Hispanic may also be represented in other bars except white. Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Housing Context
Understanding how household incomes relate to the supply of affordable rental and homeownership units will inform jurisdictions' efforts to meet the current and future housing needs of residents.
Household Income
Distribution of households by income level relative to the area median income, 2020-24
Note: Income categories reflect HUD Income Limits by household size for 2024.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Change in Household Income
Change in households by income level relative to the area median income, 2008-12 to 2020-24
Note: Incomes are in 2024 dollars. Income categories reflect HUD Income Limits by household size for 2024.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Renter Housing Supply by Cost
Renter housing units by monthly housing cost, 2020-24
Note: Rental costs include the contractual monthly rent payment plus any additional costs to the tenant for utilities and fees.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Change in Renter Housing Supply by Cost
Change in renter housing units by monthly housing cost, 2008-12 to 2020-24
Note: Costs are in 2024 dollars. Rental costs include the contractual monthly rent payment plus any additional costs to the tenant for utilities and fees.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Housing Cost Burden
Renter households paying more than 30% of their monthly income in rent, 2020-24
Note: Households paying more than 30 percent of their monthly income in housing costs are considered to be cost burdened.
Source: American Community Survey
Deeply Affordable Units
Estimated number of public housing units and vouchers relative to renter households with incomes below 30% of area median, 2020-24
Note: Estimated number of units and vouchers is for 2025. Vouchers include federally-funded Housing Choice Vouchers and locally-funded vouchers where information was available. Income is for 2020-24 and based on the 2024 HUD Income Limits by family size.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS); HUD Picture of Subsidized Households 2024; and HUD HCVP Power BI Dashboard
Need for Accessible Units
Number of households with one or more people with a disability by income level relative to the area median, 2020-24
Note: Income categories reflect HUD Income Limits by household size for 2024. People with a disability includes those with cognitive disabilities, physical or self-care disabilities, ambulatory disabilities, independent living difficulties, vision disabilities, or hearing disabilities.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Homeowner Housing Supply by Cost
Owner housing units by monthly housing cost for a first-time homebuyer, 2020-24
Note: Costs for owner housing were calculated as the monthly payment for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage for 90 percent of the market value to the unit, along with estimates of other monthly costs including mortgage insurance, taxes, utilities, and fees.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Affordable Homebuying
Share of mortgage originations to households with moderate incomes and below, 2024
For first-lien owner-occupied home purchases of 1-4 unit dwellings
Source: Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Potential Homebuyers
Number of potential homebuyers with low or moderate incomes by race and ethnicity, 2020-24
For renter households with a head of household age 45 years or younger and incomes between 50-120% of AMI
Note: Categories are mutually exclusive, borrowers identifying as Hispanic are not also represented in a race category. Income categories reflect HUD Income Limits by household size for 2024. Renter households with a head of household under age 22 were excluded.
Source: American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Elected Officials
Equity Officer
Housing Officials
Christopher E. Donald
Executive Director & CEO, DC Housing Finance Agency