Commercial Real Estate Market in Washington, DC
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: October 31
3,041 active listings and 28,190 off-market properties in Washington, DC. Commercial property asks $438/SF to buy and $34.65/SF/Yr to lease. Office vacancy runs 22.8%, the loosest of the segments tracked here.
Market Trends
Washington, DC spans 61.1 square miles in District of Columbia County, District of Columbia. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 October 2026.
Office
Office space in Washington, DC asks $32.17/SF/Yr to lease. Vacancy runs 22.8% in 2025, up from 14.8% in 2019.
Retail
Retail space in Washington, DC asks $37.06/SF/Yr to lease. Vacancy runs 4.6% in 2025, little changed from 4.9% in 2019.
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Washington, DC runs 7.9% across the South region in 2025, up from 6% in 2019. Nearly 2.3x the 2022 low of 3.5%.
Multifamily
Across District of Columbia, multifamily space asks $313/SF to buy. Multifamily vacancy in Washington, DC runs 11.3% across the South region in 2025, up from 8.5% in 2022.
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 41.1%
- Civic 14%
- Mixed use 8.8%
- Commercial 4.4%
- Industrial 1%
- Open space 0.2%
- Special 0.1%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
SIDE YARD 209 COURT 210 LOT OCCUPANCY 211 PERVIOUS SURFACE 212 SPECIAL EXCEPTION FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND PUBLIC RECREATION AND COMMUNITY CENTERS CHAPTER 3 TREE AND SLOPE PROTECTION RESIDENTIAL HOUSE ZONES - R 1A/TS AND R-1B/TS 300 PURPOSE AND INTENT 301 TREE PROTECTION 302 LOT OCCUPANCY CHAPTER 4 TREE AND SLOPE PROTECTION RESIDENTIAL HOUSE ZONES - R 1A/FH,…
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Washington, DC has 689,545 residents in 356,180 households. Density runs 11,281 people per square mile. Median household income here is $113,001 and median gross rent $1,901 a month.
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $34.65/SF/Yr lease vs $438/SF buy → buying wins if held > 2.3 years.
At a 7.9% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Nearby Markets
| Market | Median Asking Price, $/SF | Median Asking Rent, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | $225 | $20.50 |
| Mount Rainier | $222 | $30.00 |
| Bladensburg | $154 | — |
Commercial property in Washington, DC asks $438/SF. The 3 bordering markets run from $154/SF in Bladensburg to $225/SF in Columbia, and the city sits above their $222/SF median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median price per square foot for commercial property in Washington?
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Washington?
What is the office vacancy rate in Washington?
Which property type has the lowest vacancy in Washington?
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Washington?
How does Washington compare to nearby markets on price?
Where does Realmo's Washington market data come from?
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and medians
- There are 1,927 active for-sale and 1,114 active for-lease listings in Washington, DC. The medians are based on 1,150 of the for-sale and 109 of the for-lease listings, those that state a price or rent per square foot. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a figure resting on fewer than 10 listings says so where it is quoted.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 43,917 zoned acres across 185 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 October 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- industrial vacancy is reported at South region level and multifamily vacancy is reported at South region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 October 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
