Department of Numbers

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia Job Growth

There were 3,361,100 jobs in Washington, District of Columbia in April 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 3,375,995 employed persons for the month. Washington added 3,900 jobs in April 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 10,304 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Washington job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey April 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 3,361,100 +3,900 +67,100
CPS 3,375,995 +10,304 +63,206

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 February 2020 at 3,381,700. Since then 20,600 jobs have been lost in Washington according to the employer survey. From a trough of 2,961,500 in April 2020, Washington has gained 399,600 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 3,431,012 for Washington in February 2020. 55,017 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 348,894 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through April 2023

Washington, District of Columbia Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
April 2023 3,361,100 3,900 3,375,995 10,304
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
October 2022 3,321,400 -5,100 3,336,767 2,814
September 2022 3,326,500 2,900 3,333,953 4,141
August 2022 3,323,600 6,500 3,329,812 4,163
July 2022 3,317,100 32,600 3,325,649 3,855
June 2022 3,284,500 -16,500 3,321,794 4,079
May 2022 3,301,000 7,000 3,317,715 4,926