Almost 700,000 People
By: Miriam Edelman
As of 2025, Washington, D.C., had a population of 693,645 even though at least twice in the past decade, D.C.’s population surpassed 700,000. This piece uses different populations of D.C. because D.C.’s population changes and because relevant resources have a slightly different D.C. populations. Regardless of exactly how many people live in D.C. at any given time, all D.C. residents are treated as sub-par citizens although they pay taxes and may fight for the U.S. in wars. D.C. residents are like all other Americans (they work, go to school, go to religious services, have families, spend times with friends, and more.) and should be treated as such. Yet, they are not. Unlike almost Americans, they do not have much control over local, national, and international affairs. This lack of rights is because Congress must approve most D.C.-government-passed bills and because D.C. residents have no voting representation in Congress.
According to the 2020 Census, the average member of the House of Representatives represents 761,169 people, just slightly larger than D.C.’s population. The average population represented by a House member in seven states (including Vermont and Wyoming, the two states that have a smaller population than D.C.) is smaller than the population of D.C. Unlike residents of D.C., residents of all Congressional districts in states are represented by voting Members of Congress.
Aside from having a larger population than two states, D.C. has a larger population than most U.S. cities. According to Brittanica, in 2024, the District of Columbia was the nation’s 22nd most populous city (as of 2024, when D.C. had 702,250 people). The nation’s 21 most populous cities are in just 14 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington State), as four of the 21 cities are in California and five are in Texas. Therefore, D.C. has a larger population than the most populous city in 36 states. Unlike residents of D.C., residents of all U.S. cities in states are represented by voting Members of Congress.
Washington, D.C., also had a larger population than most state capitals. With a population of 694,310 in 2025, D.C. had fewer people than the capitals of just seven states (Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas). Unlike residents of D.C., residents of all state capitals are represented by voting Members of Congress. For the record, they are also represented by voting members of their state legislatures. Thus, states have figured out how to enfranchise their capitals’ residents.
For comparison sakes, according to Worldometer.info, the District of Columbia has a larger population than 33 countries, which is the equivalent of around 16.9 percent of 195 countries. Those 33 countries are in all continents, except for Antarctica (which does not have nations). The following graph shows the populations of D.C. and the 33 countries.
Finally, let’s look at the history of states joining the Union. When the vast majority of states joined the United States, their populations were much lower than the current population of the District of Columbia. The only exception was Oklahoma, whose estimated population when it became a state in 1907 was 1,414,177. The state with the next closest population at the time of admission into the U.S. was Hawaii (in 1959) with an estimate population of 595,000. Of course, the smaller populations of most states when they joined the U.S. is understandable first, because the U.S.’s population has increased dramatically over time (from almost four million people in 1790 at the time of the first census to around 342,846,309 as of September 10, 2026 – Every 29 seconds, the U.S. population grows by one person.) and second, because the U.S. has not admitted a new state since Hawaii. Even so, the U.S. should stop treating D.C. residents as non-full U.S. citizens.
D.C. residents need to be treated as full citizens. The only possible way to achieve this result is D.C. statehood. Nothing else is sufficient.
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