District of Columbia migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 41,301 people moved into District of Columbia and 43,869 moved out, a net of −2,568. Drag the year slider to watch the trend, hover any state to see the corridor, or click through to explore it.
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† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest corridors: Maryland leads both directions, with 11,241 people in and 15,055 out in 2022–23.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −15,352 in 2020–21 to −2,568 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
693,645
▲ 0.3% year over year · growing
Peak population · 1950
802,178
13.5% below the 1950 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population grew in 2025 even after losing 4,128 people to domestic migration. International migration (+3,915) and births minus deaths (+2,516) more than made up for it.
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 802,178 in 1950. The 2025 estimate of 693,645 is 13.5% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$827M
▼ $2.8B arrived · $3.7B left
Avg household income · movers
$86k in · $117k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 36%
District of Columbia wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into District of Columbia in 2022–23 reported $2.8B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $3.7B with them, a net loss of $827M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $86k of income, vs $117k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 36%.
Drill into a metro
IRS data goes deeper than states. Pick a metro to see its own corridors.
About the data
Migration figures come from the official IRS state-to-state files (exemptions ≈ people). Population figures are Census Bureau estimates, and the peak checks every census back to 1910. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported in the same IRS files. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details, caveats, and a suggested citation on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every year, thousands of people move to District of Columbia
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