Demographic and Economic Trends in the District of Columbia

Benjamin Orr addressed District of Columbia nonprofit leaders at Howard University’s Center for Urban Progress.  Orr’s presentation described the demographic and economic changes occurring in the District of Columbia, and the sometimes disproportionate effects of those changes on groups within the District.

His findings include:

• African-American residents are on the brink of losing their majority status in the District;
• the District is both the most educated city in America and a place of deep inequalities in adult educational attainment, though attainment is rising for most groups;
• the District is now adding jobs faster and sooner than the rest of the region;
• government employment continues to rise; and
• housing prices continue to fall yet rents are still high.

This presentation set the stage for a larger discussion of how those changes impact local nonprofits and the low income residents they serve