City: Washington
State: District of Columbia
Best Cities Overall Rank: 71
About Washington:
The Library of Congress contains 535 miles of bookshelves.
DC was voted the most walkable city in the U.S. in a study by the Brookings Institution in 2007.
Our nation's capital also has two quality children's hospitals and 13 Blue Ribbon Schools.
County: DC
Population: 591,833
Official website for city visitors' bureau/city: Visitors' bureau website
Newspaper with the largest circulation: The Washington Post
Washington blogs:
Washington's Facebook page: Follow Washington, D.C. on Facebook
Washington's Twitter page: Follow Washington, D.C. on Twitter
Education rank: 43
High School graduation rate 2008: 68%
Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003-2009: 13
Blue Ribbon Schools per 100,000 people: 2.2
NEAYC-accredited preschools: 92
NAEYC schools per 100,000 people: 15.54
NAEP State proficiency reading, grade 8: 242
Pupil/Teacher Ratio: 13.2
Total Expenditures Per Student: $17,563
Health rank: 83
Quality children's hospitals: 2
Hospitals per 100,000 people: 0.34
Quality Pediatricians: 1
Quality Pediatricians per 100,000: 0.17
Average number of Unhealthy Air Quality days between 2006-2008, by county: 1.67
Safety rank: 70
Violent Crimes, 2008: 8,135
Violent Crime Rate per 100,000: 1374.54
Sex Offenders: 858
Sex Offenders per 100,000: 144.97
Economy rank: 15
Travel time to work, 2006-2008, in minutes: 29.5
Percent of labor force unemployed, January 2010: 6.9
Best Performing Cities Job Index: 544.34
Median Home Sale Price: $406,200
5-Year Home Value Index: 0.05%
Percent of homes sold for a loss: 14.01%
Recreation Rank: 99
Parkland acreage, 2008 (includes pools and playgrounds): 841
Parkland per 100,000: 142.1
