The Pandemic Hit Cities Hard, but Especially Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., underwent one of the most dramatic urban revivals of any U.S. city during the past two decades. Newcomers poured in, businesses expanded and developers transformed the area with high-end condos, entertainment and shopping.

The pandemic and rising housing prices began cooling that growth. The city lost a net of nearly 19,000 households to moves in 2020, according to U.S. Postal Service permanent change-of-address data. That was more than every state in the U.S. except California, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts.