Market snapshot
Census figures for the Washington metro, each set against the national figure from the same table. Every table and vintage is listed under Data sources.
2,373,0221
Households
vs. 129,227,496 nationally
36.3%2
Renter-occupied homes
vs. 34.8% nationally
13.3%3
Moved in the last year
vs. 12.3% nationally
45.5%4
Housing built before 1980
vs. 49.7% nationally
17,9905
New housing units permitted
7.6 per 1,000 households, vs. 11.0 nationally
348,1796
Veterans
7.2% of adults, vs. 6.2% nationally
Washington has 2,373,022 households across a population of 6,318,377. Junk removal demand tracks households more closely than anything else: people move, renovate, downsize and clear out, and every one of those is a job for someone with a truck and a crew.
Where these figures come from
Every number in these paragraphs is a Census figure for the Washington metro, compared with the national figure from the same table.
Around Washington
The open territories closest to Washington, with straight-line distances. Every one is a separate metro with its own owner: if a neighbour is a better fit for where you live or want to work, its page has the same detail as this one.
The same figures apply in every metro: the investment range is Item 7 of the Franchise Disclosure Document, and the capital requirement is what a candidate needs to have before the process starts. We publish no earnings information — our FDD has no Item 19.
$62,100–$178,420
Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
$40,000 (2026)
Candidate capital requirement
One
Owner per metro
One owner per metro means the local work is yours. Everything that works the same in every territory is ours.
Hire and lead the crews, be on the truck early, quote and close the jobs, keep the fleet moving, and build the local relationships — property managers, realtors, contractors — that turn one-off calls into scheduled work across Washington.
CentCom, the corporate support team, runs national accounts, receivables, the technology platform and training, and stays on the line after opening. Exactly what we are obliged to provide is Item 11 of the FDD; the support page describes it in plain terms.
What people ask first about the Washington territory. Anything not answered here, a person will answer directly.
Yes. As of September 2026, the Washington territory is open and VETS is taking inquiries for it. Availability changes as candidates move through the process, so the honest answer on any given day comes from a person: request information and franchise development will confirm the current status before anything else.
The territory is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area as defined in the Franchise Disclosure Document, by the metro's boundaries in Item 12. One owner runs the whole metro: there are no carved-up sub-territories and no second VETS branch competing for the same jobs. Item 12 of the FDD is the document to check, and it is part of what you receive before any decision.
No. VETS was founded by a veteran and most owners have a service background, but the franchise is open to anyone who fits the profile: comfortable leading a crew, willing to be on the truck early, and able to run the numbers honestly. What is not negotiable is the capital requirement in the FDD and passing the same qualification process as every other candidate.
You request information and a person replies, not an autoresponder. If it looks like a fit on both sides you receive the Franchise Disclosure Document, and by law you have at least fourteen calendar days with it before you can sign anything or pay anything. Discovery day, talking to existing owners and your own due diligence all happen inside that window or after it, never before it.
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 5-year estimates and the Building Permits Survey. Each national comparison uses the same table and vintage.
Next step
Tell us where you are looking. We will tell you straight whether the metro is open, what it would take, and whether we think it is a fit.
A person replies, usually within a business day
Not an autoresponder sequence, and not a call centre reading from a script.
Fourteen days with the FDD, minimum
Federal law gives you at least that long before anything can be signed. We treat it as a floor, not a target.
We will tell you if it is not a fit
Both directions. We are deciding too, and we would rather say so early than waste a year of yours.
PENDING COUNSEL. This is not an offer to sell a franchise. An offer is made only by a Franchise Disclosure Document, and only in states where VETS is registered or exempt.
