DC Population Reaches 43-Year High

Sara Hines of JLL

Washington, DC’s population has been increasing for the last 13 years and in 2018 it finally surpassed the 700,000-resident mark for the first time since 1975, JLL notes in a new research brief. It is a notable achievement for the city, bested only by Seattle in the last decade.

Regional Growth

Regionally, DC was topped by Loudoun County, which has outpaced DC’s growth since 2010, with the exurb country growing at nearly double the District’s rate at 30%, writes Senior Research Analyst Sara Hines. In comparison, Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax grew by 9.5%, 10.9% and 4.2%, respectively. Across the Potomac in Suburban Maryland, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County posted growth rates of 8.2% and 6.7%, respectively since 2010.

“Looking ahead, the outlook favors Northern Virginia’s suburbs through 2023, with Loudoun County forecasted to top regional growth at 3.1% annually, while Prince William County comes in second at 1.5% per year,” Hines writes. “Fairfax County, however, is expected grow at a slower pace of 0.5%, which is the lowest forecasted rate in the region. Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are also expected to have growth rates of less than 1% per year.”

Meanwhile In DC

In the District Mount Vernon Triangle, Logan Circle, and U Street fueled growth, with annual compounded growth rates averaging close to 10% from 2000 to 2010. “Multifamily development has boomed in those neighborhoods with 100% of multifamily units in Mount Vernon Triangle built after 2000 and 72% of multifamily units in U Street built after 2000,” according to Hines.