Washington DC indexes 92/100 on the Class A Atlas talent index, with deepest federal-services and policy talent pool in the world.

• Talent index: 92/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 27.1%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

TL;DR

• Talent index: 92/100 (NYC = 100 baseline).
• Corporate tax: 27.1%.
• Talent depth and rent curve are correlated — top talent markets carry top rent.

Talent depth

Deepest federal-services and policy talent pool in the world. Strong legal, lobbying, defense, and consulting concentrations. Tech talent has grown rapidly post-2020 driven by AWS, Amazon HQ2, and federal cloud contracts.

Cost-to-locate

Total cost of locating in Washington DC is the sum of rent, fit-out">fit-out, and salary delta vs. comparable markets. Use the City Comparator tool to benchmark Washington DC against peer cities on a single normalised view.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Is Washington DC a deep talent market for tech/finance?

Deepest federal-services and policy talent pool in the world. Strong legal, lobbying, defense, and consulting concentrations. Tech talent has grown rapidly post-2020 driven by AWS, Amazon HQ2, and federal cloud contracts.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Miriam Hollander — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

• CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
• JLL Office Insight — JLL
• Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
• Savills World Research — Savills
• Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

Full sources index · Submit a correction

Related topics

• Workplace Talent Strategy — How office location, building tier, and workplace experience shape talent attraction and retention.