National Center for Healthy Housing

Washington, DC

Location Summary

Positive Findings: Compared to the national average, the Washington area has fewer homes with room heaters without flues. Rental properties are less likely to have water supply stoppages than the national average. Central city properties are less likely to have sewage disposal breakdowns. Owner-occupied homes are less likely to have foundation and window problems.

Areas for Improvement: Compared to the national average, Washington-area homes have more problems with broken plaster and peeling paint, water leaks from inside, and water supply stoppages. Central city homes are more likely to have signs of mice. Owner-occupied homes and those outside the central-city are more likely to have roofing problems.

Community Information: The Washington MSA includes the District of Columbia, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland; Arlington, Clarke, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Warren Counties in Virginia; Jefferson County in West Virginia; and the cities of Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, Fairfax, and Fall Church in Virginia. In 2007, the MSA included 1,949,100 occupied dwelling units, 15.7% of which were located in the central city of Washington. The housing stock of the MSA is above average for age and most heavily rental of the cities surveyed. The percentage of pre-1940 homes ranked 20th (9.8%) for the MSA and 27th (37.2%) for the central city. The median house age in the Washington MSA was 1975. The percentage of rental units ranked 29th (27.2%) for the MSA and 11th (56.1%) for the central city. Compared to other locations, Washington had a lower poverty rate. Its poverty rate ranked 1st (7.1%) for the entire MSA and 13th (14.8%) for homes in the central city.