City Cast DC logo
Display ad for Primary and Special Elections; June 16, 2026

How Diverse Were City Cast DC’s Podcast Guests in 2025?

Posted on January 21
David Plotz

David Plotz

City Cast is committed to tracking–and publishing–demographic information about our podcast guests. Diversity is a core City Cast value, and accountability is another. We want to have podcast guests who are diverse in race and ethnicity, gender, economic background, and geography. Tracking and publicizing guest demographics is a way to hold us accountable for representing the diversity of DC.

So are we living up to our values? How diverse is our podcast guest pool, really?

This is the third year of data we have about City Cast DC’s guests. (Here’s our report for 2024.) We ask each of our City Cast DC podcast guests a few questions about their gender identity, racial/ethnic identity, and neighborhood. About 80% of guests responded in 2025.The following data encompass a total of 70 guests who appeared on the podcast between Nov. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2025.. (We did not count City Cast DC staffers who appeared on the podcast.)

We then used census data to compare our podcast guests to the broader city and metro populations. This helps us see how well we’re reflecting the community we’re serving.

Bar chart comparing race/ethnicity of City Cast DC podcast guests vs. DC City/Metro populace. Shows data for Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native, White, and more. Chart shows City Cast DC's guest are more likely to be White compared to the city population, and less Black than the population with others closer in distance.

As you can see in the chart, City Cast DC’s guests were more white than the population of the city and region. We had fewer Hispanic/Latinx guests than you’d expect, given the local population. Only 8% of City Cast DC guests were Black, down sharply from 23 percent in 2024.

Pie chart titled "Gender Identity of City Cast DC Guests." Blue represents men/male at 51.7%, red represents women/female at 46.6%, and yellow represents non-binary at 1.7%.

We also asked about gender identity. About 47 percent of our guests identified as female, with 52% identifying as male and 2% identifying as non-binary.

Share article

Hey DC

Get smart about D.C. with our news roundup and analysis.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.
Display ad for Primary and Special Elections; June 16, 2026

The latest in DC

DC PoliticsJune 10

When Will D.C. Know Its Next Mayor? Later Than You Might Think.

Here’s what else you need to know about ranked choice voting.

People cast their votes at an early voting site at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on November 03, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
DC PoliticsJune 10

Voter Guide: The Delegate Race

City Cast DC sent questionnaires to each candidate asking about their campaign platforms and what they see as top priorities for the city.

A polling station in D.C. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
DC's BestJune 9

The Best World Cup Parties and Deals in DC

An ultimate guide to World Cup viewing and partying in D.C., including the best bars by country.

World Cup watch party at the Brazilian embassy. (Getty Images/The Washington Post)
DC PoliticsJune 9

Voter Guide: The D.C. Mayor's Race

City Cast DC sent questionnaires to each Democratic candidate asking about their campaign platforms and what they see as top priorities f...

People cast their votes at an early voting site at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Nov. 3, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Local NewsJune 8

Heavy Nostalgia at Heavy Metal Parking Lot’s 40th Anniversary

A Judas Priest concert at the old Capital Centre. Youthful debauchery in the parking lot. 40 years later, a sold out screening celebrates...

Filmmaker John Heyn brings out a Judas Priest banner at the 40th anniversary screening of Heavy Metal Parking Lot at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Heyn was joined by several people featured in the documentary. (Photo by Elana Gordon for City Cast DC)
Local NewsJune 5

Man Who Plotted with Au Pair to Kill Wife, Stranger Sentenced to Life in Prison

Brendan Banfield was found guilty earlier this year of plotting with the family’s au pair to stab his wife and shoot a stranger he’d plan...

Brendan Banfield (Fairfax County Police Department)
Food and DrinkJune 4

'The Custodian' Explores the Life of Washington Football's Biggest Superfan

This documentary short premiering at DC/DOX Festival explores a Washington Football fan's 57-year quest to preserve the team's history wh...

Samu Qureshi sitting in old stadium seats in his Washington Football Team Museum. (Courtesy of “The Custodian” team)
DC's BestJune 3

A Local’s Guide To America 250 in Washington D.C.

From exploring historic ships to dancing to local tunes, celebrate America’s birthday like a real Washingtonian.

Party at the National Gallery of Art (Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art)