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The Downtown Neighborhood Survey, sponsored by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID), the Downtown Neighborhood Association and The Downtowner, asked survey participants to respond to 31 questions designed to gain a better understanding of the rapidly growing Downtown community and aid in further retail attraction and revitalization efforts. A total of 974 people, of which 788 were Downtown residents, completed the survey over the 45-day period from October 29, 2007 to 
December 12, 2007. The following results are based only on resident responses.
Results suggest that Downtown BID area residents are young, well educated and earn high household incomes. Their buying preferences indicate unmet demand for shoppers’ goods retail.
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Demographics
• 55% female and 45% male.
• 59% live in households comprised of two or more adults, while 41% of respondents are the only adult in the household. This represents an average of 1.6 adults per household.
• 5% of respondents have children under 18 residing in their homes, while 95% do not.
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• Exactly half of the respondents are married or in a domestic partnership, while half are single or divorced.
• 25 to 34 year-olds are the largest Downtown demographic with 42% of the respondent population.
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• Downtown residents are remarkably well educated with 96% of respondents reporting 
undergraduate or graduate degrees.
• 70% of respondents have household incomes of more than $100,000 and 42% have incomes in excess of $150,000. |
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Neighborhood Perceptions
80% of respondents indicated that transportation access was a highly important factor in their decision to live Downtown. A majority of respondents indicated that proximity to work, cultural and entertainment amenities, and restaurants were highly important factors.
Respondents cited homelessness as the most pressing neighborhood concern, with 64% rating it most in need of improvement. Safety was the second highest concern with 30% of respondents rating it as such.
Shopping Preferences
Only 10% of Downtown residents shop for groceries Downtown, 45% shop for groceries elsewhere in DC, and 41% travel to Virginia.
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• More than two-thirds of Downtown households spend more than $100 a week on groceries.
• 30% of Downtown residents spend the majority of their grocery dollars at Whole Foods. Giant and Harris Teeter are the second and third most popular grocery stores, respectively.
• 20% of Downtown residents visit the Penn Quarter farmers’ market only once a year and 30% have never visited the market. Given the demand for groceries, this represents a growth opportunity for the market.
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• When shopping for non-grocery, non-auto items, two-thirds of residents usually leave the Downtown neighborhood. Almost 40% of residents travel to Virginia to purchase these items, indicating a need for more fashion retail and shoppers’ goods in both Downtown and the District of Columbia.
• 85% of respondents have purchased items from Bed, Bath and Beyond within the last six months and 71% have purchaseed items from Macy’s. More than one-third of respondents have purchased items at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Filene’s Basement, H&M and City Sports.
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• Residents overwhelmingly (91%) picked grocery/food retail as the most desired category of Downtown retail.
Awareness Of Sponsoring Organizations
• Slightly more than one-third of respondents read The Downtowner once or twice a month.
• 53% of respondents are aware of the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) and 14% have attended a DNA meeting.
• 59% of respondents are aware of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) and the organization’s work throughout the neighborhood. 82% supported residential buildings joining the BID if the BID offered to increase services
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