The District’s population boom continued in 2013, according to figures released today by the US Census Bureau. An estimated 646,449 people now reside in DC, up more than 13,000 from 2012. Mayor Vince Gray and other city officials have frequently noted that the city is taking on about 1,100 new residents per month.
With a 2 percent annual growth rate, DC’s population is also increasing much more rapidly than the country at-large, which saw an overall growth rate of 0.72 percent. Only North Dakota, in the middle of an oil boom, is growing at a faster clip. The District now has more inhabitants than it has had at any point since the late 1970s.
Maryland added 43,946 new residents in the last year, while Virginia added 73,777, but because the Census Bureau reports only to the state level, it does not indicate which parts of those states experienced the most population growth.
Still, the figure for the District is promising for the city’s economic future. Because the city cannot tax the incomes of the majority of its workers, who commute from the suburbs, a rising population is essential to keeping the DC government’s coffers flush. The growth also affirms the ongoing need for more housing, transportation, and other infrastructure.
The Census report might also give a bit of confidence to people who want to see reforms to the 1910 Height Act. A proposal submitted in September by DC Planning Director Harriet Tregoning argue that changes are need to deal with the city’s expanding population, projecting that the District will add nearly 100,000 households by 2040.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
DC’s Population Boom Continued In 2013
More than 646,000 people now call the District of Columbia home, according to the US Census Bureau.
The District’s population boom continued in 2013, according to figures released today by the US Census Bureau. An estimated 646,449 people now reside in DC, up more than 13,000 from 2012. Mayor Vince Gray and other city officials have frequently noted that the city is taking on about 1,100 new residents per month.
With a 2 percent annual growth rate, DC’s population is also increasing much more rapidly than the country at-large, which saw an overall growth rate of 0.72 percent. Only North Dakota, in the middle of an oil boom, is growing at a faster clip. The District now has more inhabitants than it has had at any point since the late 1970s.
Maryland added 43,946 new residents in the last year, while Virginia added 73,777, but because the Census Bureau reports only to the state level, it does not indicate which parts of those states experienced the most population growth.
Still, the figure for the District is promising for the city’s economic future. Because the city cannot tax the incomes of the majority of its workers, who commute from the suburbs, a rising population is essential to keeping the DC government’s coffers flush. The growth also affirms the ongoing need for more housing, transportation, and other infrastructure.
The Census report might also give a bit of confidence to people who want to see reforms to the 1910 Height Act. A proposal submitted in September by DC Planning Director Harriet Tregoning argue that changes are need to deal with the city’s expanding population, projecting that the District will add nearly 100,000 households by 2040.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
March for Our Lives Is Planning a Huge DC Protest Against Gun Violence in June
Dognapping Is Becoming a Problem in DC. Here’s How Pet Owners Can Protect Themselves and Their Pets.
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People
5 Facts About Dumfries, Virginia, the Possible New Home of the Washington Commanders
Should We Care About What’s Left of the Trucker Convoy?
Washingtonian Magazine
June 2022: 101 Reasons to Love Summer in DC
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
LGBTQ Pioneer Barney Frank’s Story Is Now a Graphic Novel
Inside the Effort to Revamp the DC Archives
This DC Poet Was Once the USSR’s Biggest Kid Actor
More from News & Politics
DC Spring Animal Sightings, Ranked From Worst to Wildest
March for Our Lives Is Planning a Huge DC Protest Against Gun Violence in June
Dognapping Is Becoming a Problem in DC. Here’s How Pet Owners Can Protect Themselves and Their Pets.
Should We Care About What’s Left of the Trucker Convoy?
5 Facts About Dumfries, Virginia, the Possible New Home of the Washington Commanders
Trucker Convoy Stragglers Get Kicked Out of Racetrack, Form New Movement, Visit the National Mall, Don’t Go Home
The Trucker Convoy Has Given Up on DC Yet Again. We Tried One Last Time to Find Out What They Wanted.
Number of Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Hits Record Low