Measured FHFA data · through 2025
Home appreciation in Washington, DC
Home prices in the Washington, DC-MD (metropolitan division) area rose +5.1% a year over the five years ending 2025, by the FHFA all-transactions index, against +2.7% a year for District of Columbia as a whole. That is 2.4 points a year ahead of the state index.
The pace, three windows
1-year
+2.6%
2025 over 2024. District of Columbia: +1.4%.
5-year, per year
+5.1%
Compound annual pace, 2020 to 2025. District of Columbia: +2.7%.
10-year, per year
+4.9%
+61.2% in total since 2015. District of Columbia: +3.7%.
20 years against District of Columbia
Among the 409 metros with enough history to measure, that places Washington, DC 393rd nationally; it is the only measured metro in District of Columbia. The five-year and ten-year paces sit close together, at +4.9% a year over ten years and +61.2% in total, so the recent window is no sprint. Within the window shown, the index peaked in 2007, fell 28.2% to its 2011 low, and regained the 2007 level in 2019. The strongest single year in the window was 2006 at +15.6%, and the weakest was 2009 at -12.0%. In 2025 alone the index moved +2.6%, against +1.4% for the state.
Year by year
| 2005 | 100.0 | — | 100.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 115.6 | +15.6% | 111.9 |
| 2007 | 118.6 | +2.5% | 114.9 |
| 2008 | 105.9 | -10.7% | 108.1 |
| 2009 | 93.2 | -12.0% | 103.1 |
| 2010 | 87.9 | -5.6% | 102.9 |
| 2011 | 85.1 | -3.2% | 103.9 |
| 2012 | 86.1 | +1.2% | 108.1 |
| 2013 | 90.1 | +4.7% | 117.0 |
| 2014 | 96.0 | +6.5% | 126.2 |
| 2015 | 102.0 | +6.3% | 134.7 |
| 2016 | 107.8 | +5.6% | 143.4 |
| 2017 | 112.6 | +4.5% | 150.1 |
| 2018 | 117.5 | +4.3% | 157.3 |
| 2019 | 122.2 | +4.0% | 163.3 |
| 2020 | 128.1 | +4.8% | 169.2 |
| 2021 | 141.5 | +10.5% | 182.9 |
| 2022 | 153.9 | +8.8% | 195.5 |
| 2023 | 155.2 | +0.9% | 188.3 |
| 2024 | 160.3 | +3.3% | 190.8 |
| 2025 | 164.4 | +2.6% | 193.5 |
Source & method: Metro figures: FHFA quarterly all-transactions index for metropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions, annualized as the mean of the four quarterly (NSA) values. State figures: FHFA quarterly all-transactions index, annualized as the mean of the four quarterly (NSA) values. This is a metropolitan division, a subdivision of a larger metropolitan statistical area, for which FHFA publishes its own index. The metro spans DC, MD; the comparison uses District of Columbia, the state of its principal city. “5-yr /yr” and “10-yr /yr” are compound annual growth over the window ending 2025; all figures are nominal. Data published by the FHFA House Price Index; this edition compiled 2026-09-07. Educational data, not investment advice.
See the District of Columbia row in the state rankings, the county rankings, and, for why one metro number hides so much, why two homes in the same ZIP code appreciate differently.
Frequently asked questions
How fast have home prices risen in Washington, DC?
+5.1% a year over the five years ending 2025, and +4.9% a year over ten, by the FHFA all-transactions index for the Washington, DC-MD (metropolitan division) area. Over ten years that is +61.2% in total. These are measured, nominal changes, not forecasts.
Is Washington, DC appreciating faster than District of Columbia?
Over the five years ending 2025, yes: +5.1% a year for the metro against +2.7% for the state, 2.4 points a year ahead. Over ten years the gap is +1.2 points a year.
Does a metro average tell me what a specific home in Washington, DC will do?
No. This page reports the measured index for the whole metro. Neighborhoods and individual homes inside it followed different paths, and a metro average conceals that spread. Use it for context, then evaluate the specific property within its own local market.
Averages end where the decision starts
These are area averages from measured history. Individual homes inside the same area follow meaningfully different paths. Good Investment ranks a specific property within its own market, with context and a confidence flag.