Chapter 5: The North American Manufacturing Core

Washington D.C. is located in the North American Manufacturing Core. This area is located in the Northwest of the United States and is concentrated in the Ohio River Valley, Megalopolis and Great Lakes areas.

Source: http://aboutusa.japan.usembassy.gov/gifs/wwwg-jusa-geo-map04.gif

The district is actually located in the outskirts of the manufacturing core and little manufacturing is actually done within the city limits. In 2004 only 3.9% of all jobs in the city were in the manufacturing field. That number is expected to drop to 2.8% by 2015. (source: http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Washington-D-C-Economy.html). 

Source: http://www.copycatprintshop.com/Graphics/bind.jpg

The industries that dominate the D.C. area are paper (there are over 500 publishing/printing companies in the district), telecommunications, information technology, computer, tourism and hospitality firms. In addition, with over 100 million square feet of office space and the fact that D.C. is the capitol of the United States, the concentration of government and government related operations is unmatched in the country.