NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC

Metro Market Score 60.5 (Difficult), ranked #278 of 330 metros. 9,073 establishments, 52,504 jobs.

Metro Market Score 60.5

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Market conditions for real estate and rental and leasing in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria are tougher than average. The 60.5 market score reflects a combination of high labor costs, mixed growth signals, and an already crowded field. Rank: #278 of 330 metros.

Industry Concentration

82.4

LQ: 1.06

Rank #272 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

98.8

$99,368 avg wage

Growth Trend

↑ 61.8

Employment growth index

Rank #127 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

18.6

YoY wage change index

9,073 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

9,073

Establishments

-0.8% YoY

52,504

Total Employment

+1.6% YoY

$99,368

Average Annual Wage

+4.7% YoY

1.06

Location Quotient

Above national avg

Within District of Columbia

#1 of 1

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

District of Columbia state rank

#24 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

0.0

matches median (60.5)

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria vs District of Columbia Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to District of Columbia overall. The state ranks #24/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	DC Statewide
Overall Score	60.5 Difficult	38.5 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#278 of 330 metros	#24 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria

Information 66.2 Finance and Insurance 69.7 Other Services 78.3

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Washington-Arlington-Alexandria's 60.5 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Mobile, AL 60.5 #277/330 Boise City, ID 60.6 #279/330 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 60.2 #276/330 Springfield, MA 60.2 #275/330 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 60.1 #274/330 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 59.9 #273/330 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 61.1 #280/330 St. Louis, MO 61.3 #281/330 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 61.3 #282/330 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 61.4 #283/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering District of Columbia

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Virginia 35.6 #17/51 Maryland 50.4 #42/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Washington-Arlington-Alexandria's real estate and rental and leasing sector, the wage competitiveness component (98.8) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment