Commercial Real Estate Market in Washington, DC
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: August 31
2,722 active listings and 28,190 off-market properties in Washington, DC. Commercial property asks $217/SF to buy and $32.81/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 August 2026.
Office
Office space in Washington, DC asks $34.43/SF/Yr to lease. Vacancy runs 22.8% in 2025, up from 14.8% in 2019.
Average Lease Price $/SF/Yr
Listings
Vacancy Rate %
Retail
Retail vacancy in Washington, DC runs 4.6% in 2025, little changed from 4.9% in 2019.
Vacancy Rate %
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%.
Vacancy Rate % in South region
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Washington, DC asks $358/SF to buy. Vacancy runs 11.3% across the South region in 2025, up from 8.5% in 2022.
Average Sale Price $/SF
Listings
Vacancy Rate % in South region
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
Unzoned
Residential
Residential Apartment
Residential Flat
Residential
Residential (R-1B)
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.
689,545
Population
356,180
Households
1.9
Avg Household Size
35
Median Age
63%
College-Educated
93%
High-School Grad
61.1 sq mi
ZIP Area
11,281
Density / Sq Mi
$113,001
Median Household Income
$79,169
Median Earnings
$1,901
Median Rent
$748,537
Median Home Value
Tools
Nearby Markets
| Market | Average Sale Price, $/SF | Average Lease Price, $/SF/Yr |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | — | $24.61 |
| Dhs | — | — |
| Parcel Return Service | — | — |
| Mount Rainier | — | $25.57 |
Commercial property in Washington, DC asks $217/SF.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average price per square foot for commercial property in Washington?
Commercial property in Washington, DC asks an average of $217 per square foot. Multifamily carries the highest asking price at $358/SF.
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Washington?
Asking lease rates in Washington, DC average $32.81 per square foot per year. Office asks $34.43/SF/Yr as of Q1 26, down from $38.71/SF/Yr in Q4 25.
What is the office vacancy rate in Washington?
Office vacancy in Washington, DC is 22.8% as of 2025, up from 14.8% in 2019. That is the highest in the 7-year series. Retail vacancy is 4.6%, below Office vacancy.
Which property type has the lowest vacancy in Washington?
Retail has the lowest vacancy in Washington, DC at 4.6%, inside a 4.2–5.6% band since 2019. For comparison: office 22.8%, industrial 7.9% (South) and multifamily 11.3% (South).
Where does Realmo's Washington market data come from?
Realmo compiles Washington, DC figures from 7 recent recorded sales, 1,558 active sale listings, 1,164 active lease listings, 28,190 tracked off-market properties, the current Washington zoning release. Sale and lease figures refresh monthly; vacancy annually. Last updated 31 August 2026.
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and averages
- Computed from 1,558 active for-sale and 1,164 active for-lease listings in Washington, DC. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a segment carried by a handful of listings reads as indicative rather than an average.
- 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 August 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 August 2026 · report a data issue
