GW was the second-largest employer in the District in fiscal year 2009, moving up one spot in a list of top employers since 2008.

The University is right behind Georgetown University, which just ousted Howard University from the top spot. GW has ranked No. 1 in the past, but was pushed from that position by Howard between fiscal years 2003 and 2004, according to the audit of D.C.’s finances released earlier this month.

“As one of the District’s top employers, GW prides itself in having a positive impact on the local economy and looks forward to playing an active role in its revitalization,” University spokeswoman Emily Cain said in an e-mail.

GW Hospital is ranked 13th among D.C. employers, rounding out the list in the audit. The hospital fell one spot from its rank of 12 in 2008. A spokeswoman for the hospital didn’t return request for comment.

The data on employers is part of the District’s required 2010 Comprehensive Annual Finance Report, conducted by KPMG LLP, a United States audit, tax and advisory services firm.

The audit doesn’t include specific employee numbers for each employer due to privacy reasons, but for the 2011 fiscal year, GW employed a total of 7,466 people, Cain said. The University now employs nearly 1,000 more people than the number reported in fall 2009 of 6,419, according to GW’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

The University’s employee population remains well within limits set by its Foggy Bottom campus plan. According to the plan, the University cannot employ more than 12,529 faculty and staff on a headcount basis on the Foggy Bottom campus. In fall 2010 there were 6,815 employees in Foggy Bottom.

The top 13 employers – all of which were either universities or hospitals, with the exception of Fannie Mae at the number eight spot – employed 7.1 percent of D.C.’s total workforce, according to the audit.

Georgetown University spokeswoman Rachel Pugh said top-ranked Georgetown employed approximately 4,035 workers as of the end of the 2010 fiscal year. This number doesn’t include students, temporary employees, or employees of contractors that aren’t University owned or controlled.

Georgetown University Hospital, owned by MedStar Health, also reported employment of about 4,269 in the fiscal year of 2009, Pugh said, and it ranked sixth on the audit’s list for fiscal year 2009.

Howard University fell to fifth place, after holding the No. 1 spot for six years.