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 Politics

Transcript: City Cast DC's Interview with Kenyan McDuffie

I'm wondering, looking at the city now, as a kid growing up as you did in a neighborhood like Stronghold… better place now?

City Cast's Michael Schaffer interviews Kenyan McDuffie on Monday, April 28. (City Cast DC)
DC PoliticsMay 22

Transcript: City Cast DC's Interview with Janeese Lewis George

You know, I think a lot of the things that we had when I was a young person, are a lot of the things we need to just reinvest back in.

City Cast's Michael Schaffer interviews Janeese Lewis George on Wednesday, May 20. (City Cast DC)
Local NewsMay 22

Poll: Even After Everything, Washingtonians Are Optimistic

More than 50 percent of respondents to a City Cast poll said they were hopeful about the city’s future.

Rowhouses in the Bloomingdale neighborhood in Washington, District of Columbia, on September 14, 2020. (Photo by Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
DC, ExplainedMay 21

The Summer of EDM is About To Hit D.C.

Fueled by new venues and social media, EDM is having a resurgence in D.C.

Chris Lake at the Project GLOW Block Party April 18. (Courtesy of Project Glow)
DC PoliticsMay 20

City Cast DC Poll: Lewis George Leads for Mayor; Ranked Choice Could Boost McDuffie

The first citywide poll of District voters shows that neither candidate has a majority in the mayor’s race. McDuffie is the leading secon...

Kenyan McDuffie and Janeese Lewis George. Lewis George holds a narrow lead over McDuffie, according to a City Cast DC poll. (
Local NewsMay 20

At Malcolm X Park, The Fountain’s Repairs Bring Joy – and Politics

The $16 million park renovation is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to repair defunct D.C. fountains ahead of America’...

The Malcolm X Park fountain has been repaired after many years. The $16 million park renovation is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to repair defunct D.C. fountains ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. (Emma Uber/City Cast DC)
Local NewsMay 15

Pirro Says She Will Prosecute Parents of Kids Participating in "Teen Takeovers"

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said parents could face fines or up to six months of jail time.

US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Annabelle Gordon/AFP via Getty Images)
Food and CultureMay 14

Eating Facebook Marketplace Food for An Entire Weekend in DC

From tamales to seafood boils, the viral Facebook Marketplace food trend is hitting the DMV.

Nothing to see here, just some Facebook food delusions. (Kaela Cote-Stemmermann/City Cast DC)