Data Entry Specialist salary in Washington-Arlington, DC-VA
BLS publishes pay for this job in only one area of the District of Columbia, and it is Washington-Arlington. The median is $42,840 a year1, 22.3% below the District of Columbia median of $55,170 and 3.6% above the US median of $41,340. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#97 of 394). BLS counts about 1,620 people in this job here.
BLS occupation 43-9021, area Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Washington-Arlington against the District of Columbia and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington, DC-VA | $31,750 | $42,840 | $64,220 | |
| District of Columbia | $48,930 | $55,170 | $73,090 | |
| United States | $31,200 | $41,340 | $58,790 |
The middle half of data entry specialists in Washington-Arlington earns $37,470–$53,410. The top tenth earns $64,220 or more, 2.0 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 1.9 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $15,940 wide, wider than in the District of Columbia as a whole ($13,190) and the US ($12,650), so what a data entry specialist earns in Washington-Arlington depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a data entry specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,750 | $2,646 | $15.26 | $40,968 |
| 25th percentile | $37,470 | $3,122 | $18.01 | $48,348 |
| Median | $42,840 | $3,570 | $20.60 | $55,277 |
| 75th percentile | $53,410 | $4,451 | $25.68 | $68,916 |
| 90th percentile | $64,220 | $5,352 | $30.88 | $82,865 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $10,570 over the median, the 25th only $5,370 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $13,639 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $41,340 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Washington-Arlington, and the District of Columbia median of $55,170 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles.
What a hire really costs in Washington-Arlington
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $12,437 to the $42,840 median and brings it to $55,277 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for data entry specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Washington-Arlington
Of the 17 roles we track in Washington-Arlington, this one ranks #16 by median pay, between customer support specialists ($46,220) and virtual receptionists ($41,240). Project Coordinator is the highest at $127,030.
| Role | Median | vs data entry specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +12.7% | 18,960 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +11.1% | 920 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +7.9% | 36,750 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | this role | 1,620 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -3.7% | 17,920 |
Measured against the US median, data entry specialists rank #15 of the 17 roles we track in Washington-Arlington (+3.6%), between medical administrative assistants (+5.1%) and customer support specialists (+3.2%). The typical role here is at +11.6%, so, measured against the US, data entry specialists cost less in Washington-Arlington than the area's general pay level would suggest. Data entry specialists hold 0.5% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Washington-Arlington, 0.3% across the District of Columbia and 0.8% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Washington-Arlington against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Washington-Arlington is #10 of 389 US areas, one of the ten largest markets for this job. Outside the District of Columbia, Syracuse and Providence-Warwick pay just above Washington-Arlington and Portland-Vancouver and Des Moines-West Des Moines just below. All four are within $260 a year of the median in Washington-Arlington. Of the three markets with about as many data entry specialists, two pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Washington-Arlington | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge, MA-NH | +11.2% | 1,460 | jobs | |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | +11.0% | 1,580 | jobs | |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | +0.0% | 360 | pay | |
| Syracuse, NY | +0.0% | 230 | pay | |
| Washington-Arlington, DC-VA | this area | 1,620 | ||
| Portland-Vancouver, OR-WA | -0.2% | 880 | pay | |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | -0.6% | 460 | pay | |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL | -10.1% | 1,460 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a data entry specialist in Washington-Arlington, DC-VA?
About $55,277 a year at the median, or $4,606 a month: $42,840 in pay plus about $12,437 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do data entry specialists earn in Washington-Arlington?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $42,840 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $31,750, the 90th $64,220, and the middle half earned $37,470 to $53,410.
How many data entry specialists work in Washington-Arlington?
BLS counts about 1,620 in the May 2025 survey.
Does a data entry specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in Washington-Arlington?
Yes: $1,600 a year more at the median. The medians are $42,840 and $41,240.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-9021: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.