Business Employment Dynamics in the District of Columbia — First Quarter 2025

From December 2024 to March 2025, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in the District of Columbia were 30,225, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 24,816, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 5,409 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2025. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job losses exceeded gross job gains by 2,085. (See chart 1.)

A line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in the District of Columbia, from March 2020 to March 2025, seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in the District of Columbia, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Mar 2020	28,490	28,887
Jun 2020	16,396	111,226
Sep 2020	37,429	26,830
Dec 2020	24,542	25,688
Mar 2021	25,525	25,014
Jun 2021	33,380	25,199
Sep 2021	38,151	23,807
Dec 2021	36,286	24,234
Mar 2022	30,607	25,630
Jun 2022	30,551	31,800
Sep 2022	36,554	25,603
Dec 2022	28,887	28,579
Mar 2023	30,928	25,375
Jun 2023	28,215	27,782
Sep 2023	28,302	28,199
Dec 2023	27,090	28,993
Mar 2024	26,965	25,785
Jun 2024	26,746	28,559
Sep 2024	25,702	25,909
Dec 2024	26,158	28,243
Mar 2025	24,816	30,225

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2025, gross job losses represented 5.8 percent of private-sector employment in the District of Columbia; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In the District of Columbia, contracting establishments lost 24,291 jobs in the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 1,584 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 5,934 jobs, an increase of 398 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and the District of Columbia, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	District of Columbia	United States
Mar 2020	5.4	6.3
Jun 2020	22.2	16.8
Sep 2020	5.8	5.9
Dec 2020	5.5	5.7
Mar 2021	5.4	5.5
Jun 2021	5.3	5.9
Sep 2021	4.9	6.0
Dec 2021	4.9	5.4
Mar 2022	5.1	5.5
Jun 2022	6.3	6.2
Sep 2022	5.0	5.9
Dec 2022	5.5	5.9
Mar 2023	4.9	5.5
Jun 2023	5.3	5.9
Sep 2023	5.4	5.9
Dec 2023	5.6	5.7
Mar 2024	5.0	5.5
Jun 2024	5.4	5.9
Sep 2024	5.0	5.8
Dec 2024	5.5	5.7
Mar 2025	5.8	5.4

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2025, gross job gains represented 4.8 percent of private-sector employment in the District of Columbia; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.6 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In the District of Columbia, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 19,318 in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 176 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 5,498 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 1,166 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and the District of Columbia, March 2020–March 2025, seasonally adjusted
Period	United States	District of Columbia
Mar 2020	5.5	5.3
Jun 2020	4.8	3.3
Sep 2020	9.4	8.1
Dec 2020	7.4	5.3
Mar 2021	7.0	5.5
Jun 2021	6.8	7.1
Sep 2021	7.3	7.9
Dec 2021	7.7	7.4
Mar 2022	6.7	6.1
Jun 2022	6.5	6.1
Sep 2022	6.9	7.1
Dec 2022	6.3	5.5
Mar 2023	6.3	6.0
Jun 2023	6.2	5.4
Sep 2023	5.9	5.4
Dec 2023	6.0	5.2
Mar 2024	5.9	5.1
Jun 2024	5.8	5.1
Sep 2024	5.8	4.9
Dec 2024	5.9	5.0
Mar 2025	5.6	4.8

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 4 of the 5 published industry sectors in the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2025. Professional and business services had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 3,161 jobs. This was the result of 11,228 gross job losses and 8,067 gross job gains. Education and health services showed a net gain of 1,578 jobs, the only gain of any sector in the state. This was the result of 4,711 gross job gains and 3,133 gross job losses.

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

Federal Government Shutdown

Publication of first quarter 2025 data was delayed by more than 6 weeks because of a lapse in federal appropriations. Collection of first quarter Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data – which Business Employment Dynamics data is based upon – had been completed in accordance with our normal schedule prior to the federal government shutdown.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, District of Columbia, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	26,965	26,746	25,702	26,158	24,816	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8
At expanding establishments	21,045	20,746	20,562	19,494	19,318	4.0	4.0	3.9	3.7	3.7
At opening establishments	5,920	6,000	5,140	6,664	5,498	1.1	1.1	1.0	1.3	1.1
Gross job losses	25,785	28,559	25,909	28,243	30,225	5.0	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8
At contracting establishments	20,770	21,616	21,458	22,707	24,291	4.0	4.1	4.1	4.4	4.7
At closing establishments	5,015	6,943	4,451	5,536	5,934	1.0	1.3	0.9	1.1	1.1
Net employment change (2)	1,180	-1,813	-207	-2,085	-5,409	0.1	-0.3	-0.1	-0.5	-1.0
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,026	1,130	956	1,148	1,182	4.1	4.5	3.8	4.6	4.8
At expanding establishments	722	897	685	749	813	2.9	3.6	2.7	3.0	3.3
At opening establishments	304	233	271	399	369	1.2	0.9	1.1	1.6	1.5
Gross job losses	1,104	1,084	950	1,309	1,823	4.4	4.3	3.8	5.2	7.4
At contracting establishments	792	706	782	960	1,510	3.2	2.8	3.1	3.8	6.1
At closing establishments	312	378	168	349	313	1.2	1.5	0.7	1.4	1.3
Net employment change (2)	-78	46	6	-161	-641	-0.3	0.2	0.0	-0.6	-2.6
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	8,918	8,600	9,279	9,203	8,067	5.1	4.9	5.3	5.4	4.8
At expanding establishments	6,964	6,683	7,146	6,804	6,017	4.0	3.8	4.1	4.0	3.6
At opening establishments	1,954	1,917	2,133	2,399	2,050	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.4	1.2
Gross job losses	9,045	10,562	9,181	10,520	11,228	5.2	6.1	5.3	6.2	6.6
At contracting establishments	7,153	8,299	7,552	8,149	9,181	4.1	4.8	4.4	4.8	5.4
At closing establishments	1,892	2,263	1,629	2,371	2,047	1.1	1.3	0.9	1.4	1.2
Net employment change (2)	-127	-1,962	98	-1,317	-3,161	-0.1	-1.2	0.0	-0.8	-1.8
Education and health services
Gross job gains	4,449	4,871	4,056	4,481	4,711	3.8	4.2	3.5	3.8	4.0
At expanding establishments	3,507	3,852	3,460	3,639	3,997	3.0	3.3	3.0	3.1	3.4
At opening establishments	942	1,019	596	842	714	0.8	0.9	0.5	0.7	0.6
Gross job losses	3,604	3,927	4,187	4,502	3,133	3.2	3.4	3.5	3.8	2.7
At contracting establishments	3,067	3,147	3,426	3,769	2,563	2.7	2.7	2.9	3.2	2.2
At closing establishments	537	780	761	733	570	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.5
Net employment change (2)	845	944	-131	-21	1,578	0.6	0.8	0.0	0.0	1.3
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	5,944	5,780	5,036	5,832	5,247	7.7	7.5	6.5	7.5	6.8
At expanding establishments	4,675	4,184	4,040	4,000	3,965	6.1	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1
At opening establishments	1,269	1,596	996	1,832	1,282	1.6	2.1	1.3	2.4	1.7
Gross job losses	5,013	6,188	5,392	5,242	5,774	6.5	8.0	6.9	6.7	7.4
At contracting establishments	4,235	4,337	4,505	4,353	4,422	5.5	5.6	5.8	5.6	5.7
At closing establishments	778	1,851	887	889	1,352	1.0	2.4	1.1	1.1	1.7
Net employment change (2)	931	-408	-356	590	-527	1.2	-0.5	-0.4	0.8	-0.6
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	2,669	2,369	2,414	2,186	2,057	4.1	3.6	3.7	3.3	3.2
At expanding establishments	2,226	2,019	2,092	1,701	1,710	3.4	3.1	3.2	2.6	2.7
At opening establishments	443	350	322	485	347	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	2,455	2,567	2,291	2,835	4,024	3.8	4.0	3.6	4.4	6.3
At contracting establishments	2,076	2,073	1,931	2,385	3,518	3.2	3.2	3.0	3.7	5.5
At closing establishments	379	494	360	450	506	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	214	-198	123	-649	-1,967	0.3	-0.4	0.1	-1.1	-3.1
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Mar. 2025
United States(1)	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.5	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.4
Alabama	5.9	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.6	5.6	5.9	5.3	5.6
Alaska	10.7	10.2	8.0	10.3	10.0	8.5	9.6	9.6	9.5	8.1
Arizona	8.2	5.6	6.4	6.1	5.8	6.5	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.3
Arkansas	5.6	5.3	5.5	5.8	5.1	5.2	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.1
California	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.7	6.0	5.7	6.9	6.2	6.4	6.2
Colorado	6.4	6.6	6.3	6.2	6.2	7.4	5.8	6.4	6.5	6.8
Connecticut	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.3
Delaware	6.2	5.8	6.8	6.1	5.9	5.0	6.5	6.4	6.3	5.3
District of Columbia	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	4.8	5.0	5.4	5.0	5.5	5.8
Florida	5.8	6.1	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.5	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.5
Georgia	6.1	5.9	5.8	6.0	5.5	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.2	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.1	5.6	5.0	5.0	5.0
Idaho	7.9	7.5	7.1	8.2	7.3	8.1	7.2	7.5	6.8	7.3
Illinois	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.0	4.8	5.1	5.0	5.1	5.0
Indiana	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.5	5.4	5.1	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.2
Iowa	6.2	5.6	5.3	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.5
Kansas	5.9	5.9	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.4
Kentucky	5.9	5.3	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.1	5.8	5.4	5.5	4.8
Louisiana	6.3	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.6	5.6	6.2	5.8	5.5	5.6
Maine	7.4	7.2	6.2	7.0	7.4	6.3	7.1	7.1	7.1	6.3
Maryland	6.1	7.1	5.9	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.9	6.1	5.9	5.7
Massachusetts	5.3	5.7	5.0	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.5	5.7	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.8	5.9	5.3
Minnesota	6.1	5.7	5.1	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.1	5.5
Mississippi	6.0	5.7	6.3	6.3	5.7	5.8	6.3	5.7	6.2	6.1
Missouri	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.8	5.3	5.2
Montana	8.1	7.9	7.2	8.4	8.0	7.6	7.6	8.0	7.8	7.5
Nebraska	5.9	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.2	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5	5.3
Nevada	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.1	5.4	6.1	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.9
New Hampshire	6.4	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.5	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9	6.1
New Jersey	5.5	5.9	5.4	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.4
New Mexico	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.1	5.9	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.9	5.8
New York	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.0	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.0
North Carolina	5.5	5.6	5.5	6.1	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.5
North Dakota	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.7	6.0	6.6	6.5	6.6	6.5
Ohio	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9
Oklahoma	5.8	5.7	6.1	6.0	5.5	5.3	6.4	5.5	5.5	5.3
Oregon	6.6	6.0	6.3	6.2	5.8	5.9	6.3	6.6	6.6	6.2
Pennsylvania	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	5.0	4.6	5.2	5.0	4.8	4.7
Rhode Island	6.8	6.6	6.2	7.3	6.6	5.7	6.7	6.4	6.3	5.9
South Carolina	6.5	6.1	6.2	6.4	6.1	6.3	6.0	5.9	5.9	5.5
South Dakota	6.4	6.0	5.9	6.7	6.2	5.8	6.2	5.9	5.9	6.5
Tennessee	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.6	5.7	6.2	5.1
Texas	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.8	5.1	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1
Utah	6.9	6.5	6.8	6.8	6.6	6.3	6.9	6.2	6.3	6.0
Vermont	7.5	6.7	6.6	6.7	6.9	6.3	7.4	7.1	6.7	6.8
Virginia	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.3	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.1
Washington	5.7	5.9	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.2	5.6	5.8	5.7	5.5
West Virginia	7.1	7.0	5.9	6.5	6.4	6.1	6.7	6.6	6.1	5.7
Wisconsin	5.7	5.3	5.1	5.3	5.0	4.9	5.6	5.5	5.2	4.9
Wyoming	8.4	8.2	8.9	8.9	8.1	8.4	8.8	8.5	8.3	8.7
Puerto Rico	5.3	5.5	5.4	4.3	6.3	4.7	4.9	5.0	5.4	5.4
Virgin Islands	6.4	4.9	4.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.7	7.5	10.8	7.6
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

Last Modified Date: Monday, December 22, 2025

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Business Employment Dynamics in the District of Columbia — First Quarter 2025