REGION SNAPSHOT: Washington, D.C.

by Jim Battey

April 18, 2001 —

With federal government needs and a strong private sector, IT job prospects remain positive in the nation's capital and surrounding area.

Vital statistics

Population

District of Columbia: 519,000 (ranks 50th in nation)

Washington area: 7,354,044

Unemployment rate

National: 4.2%

District of Columbia: 5.6%

Washington area: 2.2%

Median house price

National: $142,800

Washington area: $196,700

Business outlook

Top industries

Government, telecommunications, services, and tourism

Top employers

Federal government, America Online, The Washington Post, George Washington University, Georgetown University.

Economic outlook

A hotbed for high-tech, Northern Virginia and the Washington areas offer great IT career opportunities despite recent layoffs and the overall sluggishness of the economy. The Federal Reserve reports that recruiting new employees to the region has become easier, and corporate turnover rates have dropped.

Taxes

The District of Columbia's sales tax rate is 5.75 percent; the personal income tax rate ranges from 6 to 9.5 percent; and property taxes vary throughout the region.

Local talk

"There is a substantial IT and high-tech workforce shortage in the Washington metropolitan area, and that isn't going to change anytime soon."

-- C. Michael Ferraro, president, Training Solutions, Chantilly, Va.

IT midrange salaries, districtwide

IT manager, $109,400

Systems analyst, $74,200

Database administrator, $64,000

Programmer, $53,400

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