Remote work—whether it be hybrid or fully remote—has reshaped the District’s economy. In particular, remote work has loosened the once-tight link between where people live and where they work—especially for employed residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Since remote work’s peak in 2021, the number of employed D.C. residents who work from home has declined from 167,727 in 2021 to 88,882 in 2024—a decline of 78,845, or 47 percent. The decline has been broad-based, including residents who work for the federal government as well as those employed by nonprofits or private companies. American Community Survey (ACS) data, to be sure, do not divide between those who work from home as part of a hybrid schedule and those who work from home full-time.
As the chart above shows, employed D.C. residents between the ages of 25 and 34 have driven much of this decline—the same age group that propelled the work-from-home shift. In 2021, this group accounted for 61,890 of the 167,727 residents who worked from home—roughly 37 percent. By 2024, the number of residents aged 25 to 34 who worked from home had fallen to 29,669—a decline of 32,221. Nevertheless, this age cohort still accounts for the plurality—33 percent—of employed D.C. residents who worked from home in 2024.
Notes:
- The analysis uses American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year data from IPUMS USA. The sample is limited to employed D.C. residents over the age of 15.
- This piece updates a previously published chart of the week.
- Readers will notice that this piece focuses on remote work—hybrid or fully remote—among employed D.C. residents. This piece does not address non-resident workers—an important part of the city’s workforce—because the data makes it difficult to measure this group.