Skip to main content
County Paycheck

Salaries & Cost of Living in District of Columbia, DC

Median pay, take-home pay and what is left after rent, food and energy for 70 occupations in District of Columbia, DC.

Jobs listed
70
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Median of medians
$58,265
per year, before tax
1-bedroom rent
$2,204
HUD Fair Market Rent / month
Jobs covering basics
81%
57 of 70

Pay and cost of living in District of Columbia, DC

Across the 70 occupations we cover in District of Columbia, DC, the middle median salary is $58,265 a year. Pay runs from $34,600 for Fast Food and Counter Workers up to $195,190 for Computer and Information Systems Managers, a spread of $160,590. Wages come from the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV survey area.

A one-bedroom apartment in District of Columbia, DC has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $2,204 a month and a two-bedroom $2,438. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $34,019 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $56,218 a year, and 57 of the 70 occupations listed here (81%) earn enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.

Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.

All jobs in District of Columbia, DC, highest paying first

Showing 1–50 of 70.

Occupations in District of Columbia, DC ranked by median salary
#OccupationMedian salaryTake-homeLeft per month
1Computer and Information Systems Managers$195,190$131,813$8,149
2Lawyers$195,190$131,813$8,149
3Financial Managers$185,270$125,261$7,603
4General and Operations Managers$156,460$107,449$6,119
5Software Developers$154,930$106,534$6,043
6Information Security Analysts$148,950$102,955$5,745
7Medical and Health Services Managers$140,670$97,999$5,332
8Computer Systems Analysts$127,040$89,841$4,652
9Project Management Specialists$127,030$89,835$4,651
10Management Analysts$126,830$89,716$4,641
11Network and Computer Systems Administrators$125,430$88,878$4,572
12Financial and Investment Analysts$108,330$78,428$3,701
13Buyers and Purchasing Agents$104,880$76,294$3,523
14Registered Nurses$102,710$74,952$3,411
15Accountants and Auditors$102,140$74,600$3,382
16Public Relations Specialists$101,680$74,315$3,358
17Human Resources Specialists$100,830$73,789$3,314
18Compliance Officers$100,200$73,400$3,282
19Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$90,320$67,289$2,772
20Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists$87,160$65,334$2,610
21First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers$86,370$64,846$2,569
22Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers$84,000$63,380$2,447
23First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$83,540$63,095$2,423
24Training and Development Specialists$82,400$62,390$2,364
25Paralegals and Legal Assistants$81,590$61,889$2,323
26Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$80,300$61,092$2,256
27Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$79,470$60,578$2,213
28Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel$78,110$59,737$2,143
29Computer User Support Specialists$77,860$59,582$2,130
30First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$76,400$58,679$2,055
31Electricians$75,930$58,389$2,031
32Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics$61,860$49,187$1,264
33Carpenters$60,800$48,404$1,199
34Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$59,820$47,681$1,138
35Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$59,290$47,289$1,106
36Maintenance and Repair Workers, General$57,240$45,775$980
37Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$53,660$43,125$759
38Office Clerks, General$51,880$41,801$649
39First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers$50,530$40,798$565
40Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$48,280$39,125$425
41Bartenders$48,030$38,939$410
42Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$47,620$38,634$385
43First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$47,580$38,604$382
44Construction Laborers$47,430$38,493$373
45Security Guards$46,830$38,047$336
46Medical Assistants$46,640$37,905$324
47Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$46,470$37,779$313
48Light Truck Drivers$46,360$37,697$307
49Customer Service Representatives$46,220$37,593$298
50Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$46,200$37,578$297