Work & commute · Washington

Work & commute in Washington, DC

69% of Washington’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Arlington (4%), Bethesda (2%) and Tysons (2%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

69%

203,088 of 295,624 working residents

Typical commute

4 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

30 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

33%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 92,536 Washington residents head out of town to work, 203,088 work right here, and 422,114 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Washington.

92,536live here, work elsewhere

203,088live and work here

422,114work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Washington goes to work

Washington (in town)right here

69%203,088

Arlington, VA4.9 mi away

4%12,010

Bethesda, MD7.9 mi away

2%5,675

Tysons, VA11.4 mi away

2%5,504

Alexandria, VA6.9 mi away

1%4,429

Silver Spring, MD6.8 mi away

1%2,113

North Bethesda, MD10.7 mi away

1%2,079

Rockville, MD14.5 mi away

1%1,950

Baltimore, MD35 mi away

1%1,923

New York, NY203.6 mi away

1%1,562

Everywhere elseother towns and states

19%55,291

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Washington commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

84%

11%

84%Under 10 mi

11%10–24 mi

2%25–50 mi

3%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Washington is a job hub

2.11jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Washington are

625,202 jobs are based in Washington. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Washington’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Washington

625,202 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)3%

Trade, transport & utilities5%

Services (health, schools, offices…)92%

$1,250 a month or less6%

$1,251–$3,333 a month12%

Over $3,333 a month82%

Jobs Washington residents hold

295,624 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)3%

Trade, transport & utilities9%

Services (health, schools, offices…)88%

$1,250 a month or less8%

$1,251–$3,333 a month16%

Over $3,333 a month76%

+2%

Jobs based in Washington, 2013 → 2023: 613,016 → 625,202. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.