it's not just about the people in the city

it's also about the money in the pocket.

and don't forget about suburbs. the census will give the figures for the incorporated city proper but i believe that if you include the suburban areas DC will come out ahead of Bmore.

Actually....

It is about the city's boundaries. DC itself only has 61 sq. miles of land area, and a little over half a million people.

Montgomery County has about twice as many people, in about 8 times as much land. It is also the second wealthiest county per capita in the country.

If you look at the Washington Metropolitan area as a whole, it is 9th most populous and the wealthiest metro area in the nation.

So, looking statistically, you need to wander south more often than you go north. Or we could meet at the hardware store again.  

Pure economics. The economy around the country is in yo-yo right now. With the DC Metro govt employer oriented population, the area remains largely immune to the same swings. Good for hobby.

You are like a ray of sunshine in my otherwise dismal existance. If you leave DC lots of men will be disappointed

More important!!!  Include the total population surrounding DC (include Northern Virgina) and you have a huge pop comparable to most urban cities.  let alone look where the money is and who stays or visits?

the same census data lists metro d.c. as 5.4 million population, and metro-baltimore has 2.6 million. it's no comparison. if i recall correctly, d.c. is the 9th largest metro in the country.
remember, the census bereau and most studies use SMA's not incorporated cities. otherwise u'll see the City of Rockville is bigger than the city of baltimore, perhaps?

does this help?

yes, DC is small.

The DC metro AREA is very large.

You may roam the halls and corridors, north-south-east and west. Just remember to come home by daty, er I mean dinner time. Your sweet tush belongs in our neighborhood.  Tell your hair man that he did a great job. I liked it.