Leaving a big city
Leaving DC: Where People Move and What It Costs (2026)
By Sol Lakein, founder of Slower Sundays. Published November 4, 2026.
Leaving DC: the short answer
Leaving DC used to be mostly a housing decision. In 2025 it became a jobs decision too. The metro's median listed home is $572,150, 36% above the US median, and its housing costs index at 151.1 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024). Then the federal workforce shrank, and the District alone had a net loss of more than 22,000 federal jobs. Here is how many people are leaving DC, where they go, what changes with taxes, and what you save, with every figure sourced.
How many people are leaving DC
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro, which covers the District plus its Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia suburbs, lost 23,791 residents to other parts of the US on net between July 2024 and July 2025source. The District itself shows the same direction. Census estimates, which run July to July:
| Year (July to July) | District of Columbia net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | -4,128 |
| 2023-24 | -386 |
| 2022-23 | -2,706 |
| 2021-22 | -5,029 |
| 2020-21 | -6,258 |
| 2019-20 | -658 |
| 2018-19 | -2,417 |
| 2017-18 | -444 |
| 2016-17 | 1,055 |
| 2015-16 | 1,969 |
People who moved in from other states minus people who moved out. US Census Bureau estimates via the Maryland Department of Planning; 2024-25 is Vintage 2025.
The District last gained residents this way in 2016-17. The biggest loss in the series was 6,258 in 2020-21. The loss nearly disappeared in 2023-24, at 386, then jumped to 4,128 in 2024-25, a period that includes the first months of the federal job cuts.
Why people are leaving DC: the federal job cuts
The District recorded 30,813 federal job separations from January through December 2025. Agencies also hired 8,457 people, so the net loss was about 22,356 federal jobs carrying $3.656 billion in annualized paysource. Those figures count jobs located in the District, not where the workers live, so many of the people affected live in Maryland and Virginia.
The metro numbers show the spillover. The Washington metro had 3,292,000 nonfarm jobs in September 2026, down 1.8% from a year earlier. Government employment, which includes federal, state and local jobs, was 676,600, down 4.6%. Professional and business services is the largest sector at 769,400 jobs. The unemployment rate was 3.7%source.
For a household that lost a federal or contractor job, the move question is about where the next paycheck comes from. For a household that kept a remote job, it is about whether DC housing prices still make sense.
Housing costs in the DC area
Principal and interest on the median DC metro home come to about $3,144 a month with 20% down at 7.32%. The median 2-bedroom rents for $2,226 including utilities across the metro, and $2,541 inside the District (Census ACS, 2025). BEA puts the District's housing index at 155.0 and its overall price level at 109.9, both higher than the metro's 151.1 and 108.9 (2024, US = 100).
Where people move when they leave DC
Most cross a short line. In 2024, 16,800 people moved from the District to Maryland, 10,000 to Virginia and 4,800 to New York (USAFacts, from the Census Bureau's 2024 state-to-state flows). About as many people moved into the District from other states as left, with Virginia, Maryland and California the largest sources.
A move from the District to Montgomery County or Arlington changes your tax return but not your housing market, because it stays inside the same metro. The real savings start when you leave the region, or move to its edges in Baltimore and Richmond.
Staying close: Baltimore and Richmond
For families who want to keep a hybrid DC job, two cities stand out on cost. The median listed home in Baltimore is $375,000, about $1,083 a month less to finance than the DC metro median, and the MARC Penn Line runs between Baltimore Penn Station, BWI Airport and Washington Union Stationsource. Baltimore also runs a homebuying incentive: Buying Into Baltimore (Up to $5,000 toward a home).
Richmond lists the median home at $439,925, about $727 a month less, with a price level of 97.9 against the DC metro's 108.9. Compare it with Raleigh on our Raleigh vs Richmond page.
Both moves keep you in a state with an income tax. Maryland counties and Baltimore City add a local income tax on top of the state rate: 3.20% in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard in 2026, out of a statewide range of 2.25% to 3.30%source.
What you save leaving the DC area
| Metro | Median listed home | Monthly payment | 2-bedroom rent | Price level | Housing index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, MD | $375,000 | $2,061 | $1,764 | 104.5 | 118.2 |
| Richmond, VA | $439,925 | $2,418 | $1,684 | 97.9 | 99.1 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $374,950 | $2,061 | $1,723 | 102.6 | 113.1 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $245,000 | $1,346 | $1,185 | 94.7 | 72.0 |
| Raleigh, NC | $445,000 | $2,445 | $1,673 | 98.2 | 103.5 |
| Durham, NC | $460,135 | $2,529 | $1,630 | 97.6 | 98.9 |
| Charlotte, NC | $424,950 | $2,335 | $1,589 | 97.3 | 97.6 |
| Greenville, SC | $382,450 | $2,102 | $1,279 | 93.3 | 76.8 |
Median listed home: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Monthly payment: principal and interest with 20% down at 7.32% (Freddie Mac, week of October 22, 2026), before taxes and insurance. Rent: median gross rent for a 2-bedroom, utilities includedsource. Price level and housing index: BEA regional price parities, 2024, US = 100.
The same comparison as a monthly and yearly saving on the median home, plus the rent gap, against the DC metro baseline:
| City | Monthly payment | Saves per month | Saves per year | 2-bedroom rent vs DC metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC metro | $3,144 | Baseline | Baseline | $2,226 (baseline) |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $1,346 | $1,798 | $21,574 | $1,041 less |
| Philadelphia, PA | $2,061 | $1,084 | $13,004 | $503 less |
| Baltimore, MD | $2,061 | $1,083 | $13,001 | $462 less |
| Greenville, SC | $2,102 | $1,042 | $12,510 | $947 less |
| Charlotte, NC | $2,335 | $809 | $9,707 | $637 less |
| Richmond, VA | $2,418 | $727 | $8,720 | $542 less |
| Raleigh, NC | $2,445 | $699 | $8,385 | $553 less |
| Durham, NC | $2,529 | $616 | $7,387 | $596 less |
Our arithmetic: principal and interest on each metro's median listed home (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026) with 20% down at 7.32%source, against $3,144 for the DC metro. Rent: Census ACS 2025 1-year, median gross rent for 2-bedroom units (rent plus utilities).
Renters save too: 8 of the 8 cities in the table have a lower median 2-bedroom rent than the DC metro's $2,226. The smallest home-price saving is in Durham, at $616 a month.
Going farther: Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte
The three North Carolina metros in our table combine a cheaper median home with a low flat income tax that is scheduled to fall further. North Carolina taxes wages at 3.99% in 2026source, and S.B. 257, signed July 7, 2026, cuts the rate to 3.49% for 2027 through 2029 and to 3.24% for 2030 through 2032source. The state's average effective property tax rate is 0.66%, close to DC's 0.58%source.
Raleigh lists the median home at $445,000, Durham at $460,135 and Charlotte at $424,950, all at least $616 a month less to finance than the DC metro median. These are growing metros, not shrinking ones:
Between July 2024 and July 2025, 19,974 more people moved to the Raleigh metro from elsewhere in the US than moved awaysource.
Between July 2024 and July 2025, 24,404 more people moved to the Charlotte metro from elsewhere in the US than moved awaysource.
Here is the weather in Raleigh:
January lows average 31.8°F and July highs 90.8°F, with 5.2 inches of snow and 46.07 inches of total precipitation in a typical yearsource.
Weigh the three against each other on our Durham vs Raleigh and Charlotte vs Raleigh pages, see the best places to live in North Carolina, or read our guide to moving to North Carolina.
The tax change when you leave DC
DC taxes income in seven brackets, from 4% on the first $10,000 to 10.75% above $1 million. The 8.5% rate starts at $60,000 of taxable income, so most professional households pay it on a large share of their paysource. On $150,000 of taxable income, the District's brackets come to about $11,150. The same income comes to about $8,368 under Virginia's brackets, $5,985 under North Carolina's flat 3.99% and $4,605 under Pennsylvania's flat 3.07%, before local taxes (our arithmetic on 2026 single-filer rates; deductions and credits differ by state).
| Place | Tax on wages, 2026 | Average effective property tax |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Graduated, top 10.75% | 0.58% |
| Virginia | Graduated, top 5.75% above $17,000 | 0.73% |
| Maryland | Graduated, top 6.50%, plus county tax | 0.97% |
| North Carolina | 3.99% flat | 0.66% |
| Pennsylvania | 3.07% flat | 1.3% |
| South Carolina | Graduated, top 5.21% | 0.48% |
Income tax: Tax Foundation 2026 table for DC, Virginia and Maryland; state revenue departments for North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. Local income taxes excluded. Property tax: WalletHub, February 2026, via CPA Practice Advisor.
Property tax runs the other way. DC's 0.58% average effective rate is lower than every state in the table except South Carolina, and Pennsylvania's 1.3% is more than double it. A DC homeowner who buys in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia gives back part of the income tax saving on the property tax bill, though on a much cheaper house.
Is leaving DC worth it?
For a household with a remote job or a job offer outside the region, the numbers are strong: every city in our table saves at least $616 a month on the median home. For anyone whose career depends on federal agencies, contractors or policy work, leaving the region means leaving the market that pays for that work, and Baltimore or Richmond is the compromise worth pricing first. If you were hit by the 2025 cuts and are deciding where to look next, do the job search before the house search: a lower salary eats into housing savings fast.
See every city we track on our moving from Washington, DC page, read the city guides for Raleigh, Charlotte and Pittsburgh, or take the quiz to rank cities on what matters to you. When you are ready to plan, start with how to move to another state.