The Washingtonian
The Washingtonian is a privately held regional media company, founded in 1965, that publishes a monthly print magazine and washingtonian.com covering local news, dining, real estate, weddings, and lifestyle for the Washington DC metropolitan area, monetizing through subscriptions, advertising, events, and directory listings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Washingtonian does
The Washingtonian, operating through its parent company Washingtonian Media Inc., is a privately held regional media company headquartered in Washington, DC, founded in 1965. It publishes a monthly print magazine and operates washingtonianian.com as its primary digital platform, covering local news and politics, food and dining, things to do, real estate, weddings, travel, health, parenting, and shopping for the Washington DC metropolitan area and surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
The company's product surface spans editorial content, curated annual rankings (100 Very Best Restaurants, Top Doctors, Top Dentists, Top Lawyers, Top Financial Advisers, Industry Leaders), searchable directories (Restaurant Finder, Wedding Vendor Finder, professional service directories), a DC-Area Events Calendar, email newsletters including the Washingtonian Today daily briefing, a digital magazine edition via emagazines.com, the events.washingtonian.com ticketing platform, the shop.washingtonian.com commerce vertical, and The 1965 Club paid membership program. The underlying technology is a standard digital publishing stack with content management, email distribution, event management, and directory database components.
Revenue is generated through a multi-stream model: print and digital magazine subscriptions (including a dedicated The 1965 Club membership tier), display and directory advertising, paid event ticketing and hosted events such as the Tech Titans reception, and Amazon affiliate commerce. The customer base is consumer-facing, segmented primarily into DC-area residents seeking local lifestyle and service-provider guidance and a secondary segment of DC business professionals featured in industry rankings.
The Washingtonian firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Washingtonian
- Legal name
- Washingtonian Media Inc.
- Website
- https://washingtonian.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Washingtonian is a privately held regional media company, founded in 1965, that publishes a monthly print magazine and washingtonian.com covering local news, dining, real estate, weddings, and lifestyle for the Washington DC metropolitan area, monetizing through subscriptions, advertising, events, and directory listings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Washingtonian is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Washingtonian business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Print and Digital Magazine Subscription |
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Washingtonian product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Washingtonian publishes a monthly print magazine and operates washingtonian.com as its primary digital platform, delivering hyperlocal news, politics, food and drink coverage, lifestyle content, event listings, and curated professional directories (Top Doctors, Lawyers, Realtors, etc.) for the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company monetizes through print and digital subscriptions, advertising, email newsletters, live events, and an affiliate program.
Product overview
The Washingtonian is a single unified media platform delivering digital content through Washingtonian.com, complemented by a monthly print magazine and associated subscription products. The core digital offering includes news, politics, food & drink, things to do, real estate, and lifestyle content organized into sections and directories. Editorial products include annual Best of Washington lists (100 Best Restaurants, Top Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, etc.), neighborhood guides, and the Washingtonian Today newsletter. Directory and finder products include Restaurant Finder, Wedding Vendor Finder, DC-Area Events Calendar, and Best Lists directories. Subscription offerings include print magazine subscriptions and Digital Edition access. The platform also hosts Washingtonian Events for event ticketing and includes The 1965 Club membership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Washingtonian.com The primary digital publishing platform delivering hyperlocal Washington DC news, politics, dining, lifestyle, real estate, weddings, and event content to regional readers.
- Print Magazine Subscription Monthly print magazine delivered to subscribers covering Washington DC news, dining, culture, and lifestyle, including the annual Best of Washington issue.
- Digital Edition Online digital replica of the Washingtonian print magazine accessible through the emagazines platform for digital subscribers.
- 100 Very Best Restaurants Annual curated ranking of the top 100 restaurants in the Washington DC area, part of the Best of Washington editorial franchise.
- Best of DC Lists Annual curated editorial rankings spanning categories such as Top Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Financial Advisers, Mortgage Professionals, Real Estate Agents, Private Schools, Wedding Vendors, and Industry Leaders.
- Restaurant Finder Searchable online directory allowing users to find restaurants in the Washington DC area by cuisine, neighborhood, and other filters.
- Wedding Vendor Finder Online directory of Washington DC-area wedding vendors including venues, photographers, caterers, and other wedding service providers.
- DC-Area Events Calendar Online calendar listing events throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area.
- Washingtonian Newsletters Email newsletter products including the Washingtonian Today daily news briefing and specialized topical newsletters delivered to subscribers.
- Washingtonian Events Event ticketing and registration platform for Washingtonian-hosted live events including the Tech Titans reception and other networking gatherings.
- The 1965 Club Exclusive membership club tied to the Washingtonian brand, offering benefits to loyal subscribers.
Companies that use The Washingtonian
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Washingtonian technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Washingtonian partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Washingtonian competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Washington City Paper: Alt-weekly newspaper covering DC-area news, dining, and culture; directly competes with Washingtonian for the same affluent DC-metro audience and advertising dollars, with overlap on restaurant guides and local listings.
- Bethesda Magazine: Monthly regional magazine focused on Bethesda and the DC Maryland suburbs with similar dining, real estate, and lifestyle editorial coverage; competes head-to-head in the same geography and content verticals.
- Boston Magazine: Long-established monthly city magazine covering Boston-area news, dining, lifestyle, and annual Best of Boston rankings; near-identical business model of city magazine with directory products and event monetization.
- Philadelphia Magazine: Monthly regional city magazine covering Philadelphia news, dining, weddings, and Best of Philly rankings; directly comparable editorial franchise with print, digital, and events businesses.
- Chicago Magazine: Monthly Chicago-area lifestyle magazine with dining guides, neighborhood coverage, and best-of lists; same regional city magazine model and direct competitive peer in the city-magazine category.
- Los Angeles Magazine: Monthly LA city magazine covering dining, lifestyle, and entertainment with directory-style rankings; comparable size and editorial format to Washingtonian in another large US metro.
Broad incumbents
- New York Magazine: Major city magazine brand with national and New York coverage across news, dining, and lifestyle; larger and broader than Washingtonian but operates an analogous editorial franchise with directories and verticals.
- Politico: DC-based national politics and policy news outlet headquartered in the same market; competes for DC political news readership and policy-adjacent advertising rather than lifestyle or directory traffic.
Emerging players
- Axios (Local): Digital-native local news operations including Axios DC, competing for the same regional audience and local advertising budgets through newsletters and short-form reporting; partial overlap with Washingtonian's news and politics coverage.
Others
- Yelp: National directory and reviews platform covering DC restaurants and professional services; competes indirectly with Washingtonian's Best-of directories and Restaurant Finder as the structural aggregator alternative for local discovery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Washingtonian social profiles
Digital presenceThe Washingtonian financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Washingtonian leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Washingtonian funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Washingtonian M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Washingtonian
What does The Washingtonian do?
The Washingtonian publishes a monthly print magazine and operates washingtonian.com as its primary digital platform, delivering hyperlocal news, politics, food and drink coverage, lifestyle content, event listings, and curated professional directories (Top Doctors, Lawyers, Realtors, etc.) for the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company monetizes through print and digital subscriptions, advertising, email newsletters, live events, and an affiliate program.
Is The Washingtonian a public or private company?
The Washingtonian is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was The Washingtonian founded?
The Washingtonian was founded in 1965. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Washingtonian based?
The Washingtonian is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Washingtonian's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Washington City Paper, Bethesda Magazine, Boston Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Chicago Magazine and Los Angeles Magazine. Broad incumbents are New York Magazine and Politico. Axios (Local) is listed as an emerging player. Yelp is listed as an others.
Does The Washingtonian have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Washingtonian.