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I made a map showing population density by Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) for the DC MSA using 2014 (1-Year) ACS Estimates.
PUMAs are official statistical geographical areas defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. An individual PUMA contains at least 100,000 people and are built on census tracts and are geographically contiguous within the counties of each state or state equivalent.
The map I made, which is attached to this post, has a population density scale made up of 4 sections:
0 - 4,999, 5,000-9,999, 10,000-14,999, and 15,000+
DC proper has 5 PUMAs (representing DC's estimated 658,893 residents as of July 1, 2014).
The densest is PUMA-Central (the area in dark brown), which has a population of 154,086, a land area of 9.84 square miles, and a density of 15,655 people per square mile. PUMA-Central is also the densest PUMA in the DC MSA. In PUMA-Central, 83% of the total housing units are in multi-family buildings, 14% are in 1-unit row houses, and 2% of the housing units are in 1-unit, detached homes. PUMA-Central should approach a density of 20,000 people per square mile by the 2020 Census.
The second most dense PUMA in the DC MSA is PUMA-North (the area in dark orange), located in DC above Harvard Street NW with a loose boundary on each side of Rock Creek Park on the west and North Capitol Street on the east. It has a population of 126,768, a land area of 9.53 square miles, and a density of 13,298 people per square mile. I anticipate PUMA-North will join PUMA-Central by the 2020 Census as the only PUMAs in the DC MSA above 15,000 people per square mile.
PUMA-Central and PUMA-North have a combined land area of 19.4 square miles.
The third most dense PUMA in the DC MSA is Alexandria City (the jurisdiction is contained within one PUMA) with a population of 150,575, land area of 15.03 square miles, and a population density of 10,019 people per square mile
The fourth and fifth most dense PUMAs are in DC proper (PUMA-Northeast at 9,833 people per square mile and PUMA-East at 9,651 people per square mile). Both these PUMAs are on the verge of moving past 10,000 people per square mile in the next year or two.
Arlington County is split into two PUMAs (generally divided by Arlington Boulevard). Arlington County PUMA-South is the sixth most dense PUMA in the DC MSA, and it should be at or slightly above 10,000 people per square mile by 2020 (it is currently at 8,949 people per square mile).
In Montgomery Country, the Takoma Park City and Silver Spring PUMA is the seventh most dense PUMA in the DC MSA at 8,891 people per square mile.
In the eighth spot is Arlington County PUMA-North at 8,526 people per square mile.
I did a 2014 population density analysis using PUMAs on other cities as well, to include Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle, Philly, Denver, and Boston.
The data files containing the list of census tracts that make up each of the PUMAs can be found here:
Good job. I'm guessing the DC stats nerds will be in shock to see that Alexandria is more dense than more than half of DC.
It's not that shocking. The city of Alexandria has a large number of residential high rises over 14 stories, something DC itself lacks. While you have areas west of the park and east of the river which are not very dense at all. This is hardly shocking for people who live inside DC.
Some more detailed info on the Alexandria City PUMA as of July 1, 2014:
Of the 75,334 total housing units in Alexandria City, 65% of the units are in multi-family buildings, 21% are in 1-unit row houses, and 14% are in 1-unit, detached homes.
And for those interested in the area of DC west of Rock Creek Park as of July 1, 2014:
DC PUMA - West is the ninth most dense PUMA in the DC MSA. It has a population of 110,997, a land area of 14.21 square miles, and a population density of 7,810 people per square mile.
Of the 51,411 total housing units in DC PUMA - West, 59% of the units are in multi-family buildings, 24% are in 1-unit, detached homes, and 17% are in 1-unit row houses.
I went ahead and annotated the map I made with a number ranking of the top PUMAs in the DC MSA by Population Density:
Last edited by revitalizer; 02-16-2016 at 12:55 AM..
What would the density in PUMA 1 be without the massive land in the national mall and monuments/White House etc. included?
Good question! Without the National Mall and Memorial Parks and White House included in DC's PUMA-Central, the land area would be reduced to 7.30 sq. mi., and the population density would increase from 15,655 ppl per sq. mile to 21,108 ppl per sq. mile.
All I had to do was to minus out the land area (2.54 square miles) associated with Census Tract 62.02 from PUMA-Central since the National Mall and Memorial Parks area is contained in its own census tract. (PUMAs are built on census tracts).
On another note, the population densities of DC's PUMA-West (the area west of Rock Creek Park) and PUMA-North would be higher if not for Rock Creek Park. I wonder if DC's State Data Center would be willing to explore getting the Census Bureau to put Rock Creek Park in its own Census Tract like the National Mall already is?!? (I'll send them an email).
I see NYC has Central Park contained in its own census tract, as well as Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Last edited by revitalizer; 02-16-2016 at 07:29 AM..
No offense, but I don't think these numbers are that helpful. I think using density numbers for zip codes are much more helpful because they're much smaller boundaries -- there can be huge discrepancies between different parts of PUMAs. For example, within the North Arlington PUMA there are two zip codes that are completely different:
Those are drastically different hoods. And it would be a bit ridiculous to lump the two together and make a generalization. You could easily find example of this within DC PUMAs too.
All of the zip codes ranked by density in the core (Arlington, Alexandria, and DC):
20009 (DC-Adams Morgan): 38,021 p/sq mi
20010 (DC-Columbia Heights): 29,632 p/sq mi
20037 (DC-Foggy Bottom/West End): 22,540 p/sq mi
22209 (Arlington-Rosslyn): 20,057 p/sq mi
20001 (DC-Shaw): 18,713 p/sq mi
20036 (DC-Dupont Circle): 15,642 p/sq mi
22203 (Arlington-Ballston/Virginia Square): 14,947 p/sq mi
22201 (Arlington-Clarendon/Virginia Square/Courthouse): 14,571 p/sq mi
20011 (DC-Petworth): 12,827 p/sq mi
20003 (DC-Capitol Hill): 12,206 p/sq mi
22311 (Alexandria-West End/Seminary): 12,133 p/sq mi
22204 (Arlington-Columbia Pike): 12,030 p/sq mi
22305 (Alexandria-Arlandria/Potomac Yards): 11,416 p/sq mi
20020 (DC-Anacostia): 11,091 p/sq mi
20002 (DC-H Street/Trinidad): 10,717 p/sq mi
22206 (Arlington-Shirlington): 9,992 p/sq mi
22304 (Alexandria-Landmark): 9,969 p/sq mi
20008 (DC-Tenleytown/Cleveland Park): 9,084 p/sq mi
20017 (DC-Brookland): 8,691 p/sq mi
20019 (DC-Deanwood/NE EOTR): 8,521 p/sq mi
20007 (DC-Gtown): 8,517 p/sq mi
22301 (Alexandria-Del Ray): 8,418 p/sq mi
22314 (Alexandria-Old Town): 7,788 p/sq mi
22302 (Alexandria-Rosemont): 7,778 p/sq mi
20016 (DC-Palisades): 7,690 p/sq mi
20032 (DC-Congress Heights): 7,001 p/sq mi
22205 (Arlington-Bluemont/East Falls Church): 6,613 p/sq mi
20012 (DC-Takoma): 6,388 p/sq mi (inaccurate and includes uninhabitable Rock Creek Park)
20018 (DC-Langdon): 6,066 p/sq mi
22213 (Arlington-Williamsburg): 5,918 p/sq mi
22202 (Arlington-Pentagon City/Crystal City): 5,427 p/sq mi (highly inaccurate as it includes tons of uninhabitable land occupied by Reagan Airport, the Pentagon, and Arlington Cemetery)
22207 (Arlington-Old Glebe/Williamsburg Village): 5,123 p/sq mi
20015 (DC-Chevy Chase): 4,523 p/sq mi (includes part of Rock Creek)
20024 (DC-SW): 4,472 p/sq mi (skewed by lots of fed govt land)
Obviously zip codes have issues too with arbitrary lines and uninhabitable land skewing the numbers but I still think the best for comparing hoods...
I got this from City-Data. I don't know where they got it from...
You mentioned comparing hoods. That was not the point of this. I wasn't seeking to compare neighborhoods (even zip codes encompass multiple neighborhoods within their boundaries). I was seeking to compare larger sections of the metro area.
I am well aware of zip codes, and have done research using them as well. They have been helpful to me.
For the purpose of this exercise, I used PUMAs to look at population density over a slightly larger area than what zip codes provide. It may not be helpful to you, but it was helpful to me as it gave me a different perspective (I like to look at these things in many different ways, whether it be census block groups, census tracts, zip codes, PUMAs or an entire jurisdiction).
Last edited by revitalizer; 02-16-2016 at 04:29 PM..
You mentioned comparing hoods. That was not the point of this. I wasn't seeking to compare neighborhoods (even zip codes encompass multiple neighborhoods within their boundaries). I was seeking to compare larger sections of the metro area.
I am well aware of zip codes, and have done research using them as well. They have been helpful to me.
For the purpose of this exercise, I used PUMAs to look at population density over a slightly larger area than what zip codes provide. It may not be helpful to you, but it was helpful to me as it gave me a different perspective (I like to look at these things in many different ways, whether it be census block groups, census tracts, zip codes, PUMAs or an entire jurisdiction).
I hear you. I just think it's really misrepresentative for a lot of areas.
I can pretty much guarantee you the vast majority of the "density" in PUMA 11 is from the tall apartment/condo buildings in Bailey's Crossroads. There's like zero density outside of Bailey's Crossroads in PUMA 11.
I hear you. I just think it's really misrepresentative for a lot of areas.
I can pretty much guarantee you the vast majority of the "density" in PUMA 11 is from the tall apartment/condo buildings in Bailey's Crossroads. There's like zero density outside of Bailey's Crossroads in PUMA 11.
This study, using PUMAs, is more about depth of population density in sections of the MSA rather than highlighting smaller areas (i.e. one or two neighborhoods or smallish zip codes) within said sections.
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