Washington metropolitan area
The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the DC area, Greater Washington, the National Capital Region, or locally as the DMV (short for District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area centered around Washington, D.C., the federal capital of the United States. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area, which is the third-largest combined statistical area in the country.
Washington metropolitan area National Capital Region | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s): Greater Washington; National Capital Region; DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) | |
| Country | United States |
| U.S. state/federal district | Principal Subdivisions (National Capital Region): District of Columbia [D] Maryland [M] Virginia [V] Outlying Subdivision: West Virginia |
| Principal municipalities | Washington, Arlington, Alexandria |
| Area (2010) | |
| • Urban | 1,407.0 sq mi (3,644.2 km2) |
| • Metro | 5,564.6 sq mi (14,412 km2) |
| Elevation | 0–2,350 ft (0–716 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Metropolitan area | 6,385,162 (6th) |
| • Density | 972.2/sq mi (375.4/km2) |
| • Urban | 4,586,770 (8th) |
| • CSA (2016) | 9,546,579 (4th) |
| Urban pop as of 2016 | |
| GDP | |
| • MSA | $660.6 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (ET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EST) |
The Washington metropolitan area is one of the most educated and affluent metropolitan areas in the U.S. The metro area anchors the southern end of the densely populated Northeast megalopolis with an estimated total population of 6,385,162 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, making it the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, as well as the largest metropolitan area in the Census Bureau's South Atlantic division.