Health care · Metro area · District of Columbia
Medical and dental practices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
The medical and dental practices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #153 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 21,683
- 2,294 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 9,489
- +1.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.5B
- On medical and dental services · $1,459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $160K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.4
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
The site report maps the medical and dental practices 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
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. That works out to $160K per practice, 5% above the U.S. figure of $152K.
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 21,683 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2,294 are chain locations, or 11%, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 91.4 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 9,489 businesses with payroll in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 250 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6,872 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 139 SBA-backed loans worth $84.1M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers 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%). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, ranking #153 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia.
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 medical and dental practices 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 | 91.4 | 74.2 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $160K | $186K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 250 | 383 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.5% | −6.6% | +1.5% |
| 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 | 55 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9,489+1.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 86,401
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.4B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6,872Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21,6832,294 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 22,698The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 139
- Amount
- $84.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers 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 medical and dental practices 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 medical and dental practices are in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 21,683 medical and dental practices in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 2,294 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 9,489 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. Another 6,872 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
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 21,683 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $160K per practice. 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 medical and dental practices?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 91.4 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $160K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $152K. At the U.S. ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 22,698, against 21,683 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 250 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 55 for medical and dental practices (upper middle), #153 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 medical and dental practices 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 medical and dental practices · 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.