Approached on the street and asked to disclose their income, most Washingtonians recoil before responding with a variation of “No!” The few who don’t resist constitute a small band. Its members are typically young, less likely to be salaried, and—ignoring the social trespass of income inquiries—willing to share their pay stub’s secrets with a shrug and a “sure.” Here they are:
Gebrehiwet-T-Abreha, hotel bellhop, Dupont Circle, $360 a week.
Ali Akbar, food-cart vendor, downtown DC, $400 a week.
Jose Bolaño, Starbucks barista,Dupont Circle, $385 a week.
Edward Brooks, sheet-metal worker, Foggy Bottom, $65,000.
John Day, cab driver, DC, $150 to $250 a week.
Virgilio Escorihuela, area manager for parking-garage company, Farragut Square, $40,000.
Christina Harb, pedicab driver, National Mall,$15 an hour.
Jonathan Howard, art-gallery framer, Dupont Circle, $380 a week.
Raynolta Jones, security officer, Foggy Bottom, $55,000.
Katherine Kapsidelis, bookstore clerk, Dupont Circle, $360 a week.
Rick Levin, CEO, Greenspring Technologies Group, $106,000.
Michael Nichols, street musician, Foggy Bottom, $150 a day.
Enrique Ochoa, construction laborer, Foggy Bottom, $32,000.
Solomon Osofero, mattress-store salesman, Dupont Circle, $42,000.
Percell Ryland, shoeshine man, downtown DC, $600 to $750 per six-day week.
Alex Salbador, window-cleaning supervisor, downtown DC, $700 a week.
Meena Sangar, canvassing director for environmental organization, Dupont Circle, $500 a week.
Harvey Thomas, panhandler, downtown DC,$20 a day.
Bryce Thompson, strip-club doorman, downtown DC, $600 a week including tips.
Carl Turner, Street Sense vendor, Farragut Square, $25 to $30 a day.
Shiferaw Wordofa, garage supervisor, Foggy Bottom, $450 a week including tips.
Elizabeth Daggett, program specialist, Department of Education,$89,033.
Emily Pomeranz, deputy Southern finance director, Democratic National Committee, $45,000.
Danielle Lucey, trade-magazine associate editor, $52,000.
Danielle Geong, national campus organizer for nonprofit organization, $35,000.
Kirstin Cornnell, paralegal, Dupont Circle, $40,000.
Drew Boudreau, electrical engineer, $87,500.
Jeff D’Onofrio, stocker, Bell Wine & Spirits, DC, $21,000.
Olivia Cosby, cheese vendor, Dupont Circle FreshFarm farmers market, $50 per Sunday.
Brandon Phillips, server/bartender, Blue Ridge Restaurant, DC, $150 a day.
Melissa Rivera, body-care products buyer, Whole Foods, $24,000.
Suzanne Smallwood, sustainable farmer, Clark County, $34,000; also night nurse, Frederick Memorial Hospital, $70,000 to $90,000.
Karen Roberts, owner/baker, KarenKay’s Cakes, Montgomery Village, $30,000.
Executive sous chef, white-tablecloth restaurant, downtown DC, $40,000.
Line cook, white-tablecloth restaurant, downtown DC, $11.50 an hour.
Dishwasher, white-tablecloth restaurant, downtown DC, $8.25 an hour.
Salesperson, Cowgirl Creamery, downtown DC, $80 per Saturday.
Server, Equinox restaurant, downtown DC, $1,000 a week.
Scott Burr, owner, Tech Painting Company, Alexandria, $175,000.
Independent carpenter/remodeler, Alexandria, $75,000.
Housepainting supervisor, Arlington, $65,000; starting painter, $35,000.
Salon hairstylist, Silver Spring, $52,000.
Director, search-engine optimization, Internet-marketing firm, McLean, $100,000.
Web-analytics manager, Internet-marketing firm, $75,000.
Social-media director, online-strategy firm, $85,000.
Web designer, digital-media company, Alexandria, $97,500.
Copywriter, digital-media company, Alexandria, $100,000.
Mobile-applications developer, digital-media company, Alexandria, $150,000.
This feature first appeared in the November 2010 issue of The Washingtonian.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
