Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia Job Growth
There were 3,385,400 jobs in Washington, District of Columbia in October 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 3,425,930 employed persons for the month. Washington lost 100 jobs in October 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 1,570 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Washington job growth to job growth in other cities.
| Employment Survey | October 2023 | Month/Month | Year/Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| CES | 3,385,400 | -100 | +64,000 |
| CPS | 3,425,930 | +1,570 | +89,163 |
Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.
Washington, District of Columbia Employment Changes
The charts below show the monthly job growth for Washington as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.
CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month
CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month
Total Employment for Washington, District of Columbia
CES employment for Washington peaked in August 2023 at 3,387,100. Since then 1,700 jobs have been lost in Washington according to the employer survey.
CPS employment reached a maximum of 3,431,012 for Washington in February 2020. 5,082 jobs have been lost in Washington since then according to the household survey. From a May 2020 low of 3,027,101, Washington has added 398,829 jobs according to the CPS survey.
Employment: CES, CPS
Washington, District of Columbia Employment History
| Date | CES Employment |
CES Month/Month |
CPS Employment |
CPS Month/Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | 3,385,400 | -100 | 3,425,930 | 1,570 |
| September 2023 | 3,385,500 | -1,600 | 3,424,360 | 6,801 |
| August 2023 | 3,387,100 | 16,000 | 3,417,559 | 8,786 |
| July 2023 | 3,371,100 | -2,000 | 3,408,773 | 9,301 |
| June 2023 | 3,373,100 | 2,100 | 3,399,472 | 10,962 |
| May 2023 | 3,371,000 | 7,800 | 3,388,510 | 11,839 |
| April 2023 | 3,363,200 | 6,000 | 3,376,671 | 10,980 |
| March 2023 | 3,357,200 | 5,300 | 3,365,691 | 12,949 |
| February 2023 | 3,351,900 | 6,200 | 3,352,742 | 8,217 |
| January 2023 | 3,345,700 | 12,300 | 3,344,525 | 8,119 |
| December 2022 | 3,333,400 | 6,500 | 3,336,406 | -442 |
| November 2022 | 3,326,900 | 5,500 | 3,336,848 | 81 |
Department of Numbers
The Department of Numbers contextualizes public data so that individuals can form independent opinions on everyday social and economic matters.
