Washington, DC is a nationally competitive location for marketing, design, and publishing industries, with specialization in architectural services and news publishing. Washington, DC provides close access to federal, non-profit, advocacy, and industry leaders for marketing and design services and is a hub of journalists, editors, and publishers focused on reaching national and international markets.
Architectural Services
Graphic Design Services
Marketing Consulting & Advertising Services
Publishing
Major Employers
Recent Investments
Torti Gallas + Partners relocated the company’s headquarters from Silver Spring, MD to Washington, DC in 2021. The office is located in the historic U St corridor. This relocation has increased walkability for employees resulting in a reduction of the company’s carbon footprint.
In 2023, Gensler, the largest architecture firm in Washington, DC, expanded their K Street office of 400+ employees by 11,000 square feet.
Founded in the Washington, DC metro area in 2016, the digital media news company Axios was acquired by Cox Enterprises for $525 million in 2022.
Founded in the Washington, DC metro area in 2007, the politics & policy- focused media company Politico was acquired by Axel Springer for $1 billion in 2021.
The Atlantic made a notable investment in its new headquarters at Hoffman and Associates award winning neighborhood at the Wharf. The Atlantic is a 165-year old publication with a total circulation of more than 833,000, covering topics such as news, politics, culture, technology, and health through its flagship magazine, podcasts, and videos.
Torti Gallas + Partners relocated the company’s headquarters from Silver Spring, MD to Washington, DC in 2021. The office is located in the historic U St corridor. This relocation has increased walkability for employees resulting in a reduction of the company’s carbon footprint.
The Atlantic made a notable investment in its new headquarters at Hoffman and Associates award winning neighborhood at the Wharf. The Atlantic is a 165-year old publication with a total circulation of more than 833,000, covering topics such as news, politics, culture, technology, and health through its flagship magazine, podcasts, and videos.
Politico: Founded in the Washington, DC metro area in 2007, the politics & policy- focused media company was acquired by Axel Springer for $1 billion in 2021.
Gensler: In 2023, the largest architecture firm in Washington, DC expanded their K Street office of 400+ employees by 11,000 square feet.
Axios Media: Founded in the Washington, DC metro area in 2016, the digital media news company was acquired by Cox Enterprises for $525 million in 2022.
Talent Pipeline
The Washington, DC region ranks in the top five nationally both in concentration and the total number of employees in management analysts (55,443), software & web developers, programmers, and testers (80,489), architects (3,945), and media & communication occupations (36,622).
1.00 = US Average
4x
Company Spotlight
In 2022, national interdisciplinary design firm HGA announced that it would be moving its Washington, DC metro region headquarters from Alexandria, VA to a new 17,000 square foot office in Downtown DC. The office will offer a variety of architecture, engineering, and design services. Learn why they chose DC.
Resources
Vitality Fund
DC Department of Employment Services
DMPED and WDCEP
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is the District government agency that designs and implements strategies to encourage companies to choose, stay, and grow in DC. Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) is a nonprofit, public-private partnership that leads business attraction efforts for DC. DMPED and WDCEP collaborate to advance the Mayor’s economic development strategy, with the primary focus of creating and retaining jobs to further drive sustainable, economic inclusion for the District of Columbia.
1. Esri/U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey & Population Division (2021). Based on a comparison of the top 25 most populous metropolitan areas.
2. JobsEQ 2022 Q3 data on US Census 25 most populous cities in US
