Health care · Metro area · District of Columbia
Dentists and orthodontists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #304 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 4,023
- 370 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 3,290
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.5B
- On medical and dental services · $1,459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $860K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.0
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
The site report maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is 37 (lower middle), #304 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,023 dentists and orthodontists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That is 17.0 per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.1.
Households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $3.5B a year on medical and dental services, or $1,459 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. Spread across 4,023 dentists and orthodontists, that is $860K per practice, 13% below the U.S. figure of $984K. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 3,290 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 721 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 64 SBA-backed loans worth $53.7M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares
The same measures for District of Columbia and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the dentists and orthodontists counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.0 | 11.8 | 13.1 |
| Spending per listing | $860K | $1.2M | $984K |
| Households per official establishment | 721 | 1,047 | 952 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | −5.2% | −0.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,459 | $1,378 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $126,684 | $109,870 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3,290+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,876
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,023370 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,519The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 64
- Amount
- $53.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,373,022
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 6,034 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,047
- Median household income
- $126,684
- Average household income
- $166,652
- Median home value
- $579,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,140,160
- Daytime population
- 6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the dentists and orthodontists on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics55
- Dentists and orthodontists37
- Primary care and pediatrics56
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics48
- Chiropractors77
- Physical therapy62
- Optometrists and eye care64
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dentists and orthodontists are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
There are 4,023 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area as of September 2026. 370 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 3,290 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on medical and dental services?
About $3.5B a year, or $1,459 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,023 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $860K per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 17.0 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $860K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $984K. At the national ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 3,519, against 4,023 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 721 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 37 for dentists and orthodontists (lower middle), #304 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. It maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for dentists and orthodontists · All 56 business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.