Washington, DC/Compare
Anacostia vs Congress Heights
Anacostia and Congress Heights are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Anacostia is the calmer DC Code map (42 vs 32). Congress Heights wins the errand count. Congress Heights has the lower ACS median ($1,045).
Data period. ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024) · MPD Sep 2025 – Aug 2026 · OSM Oct 2026. ACS and MPD retrieved 2026-10-01; OSM retrieved 2026-10-01. Editorial copy last revised Sep 2026.
Scores
Fit axes among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters.
| Axis | Anacostia | Congress Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 42 | 32 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 0 | 32 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 0 | 2 |
| Median rent | $1,424 | $1,045 |
| Median home | $475,667 | $446,449 |
| Population | 5,219 | 23,206 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 16 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 14 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Anacostia | Congress Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 70% | 78% |
| Median age | 33.3 | 37.7 |
| Median income | $43K | $44K |
| DC Code per 1k | 30.8 | 33.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 12 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 44 | 163 |
| Parks / 800m | 13 | 22 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Anacostia is 27% below the 2024 city median. Cong. Hts is 47% below the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Anacostia if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Safety is 42 vs 32. 22 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Congress Heights if you want the errands on foot and the rent gap is the point. Walk is 32 vs 0. ACS median rent is $1,045 vs $1,424. Read both pages before you decide.
Anacostia
Cluster 28 is Historic Anacostia, a small official polygon of 5,219 people — not all of Southeast. ACS rent is $1,424. Violent rate is 8.2 per 1,000. Congress Heights is the larger cluster south. The river is the west edge.
$1,424 median rent · safety 42 · walk 0
Congress Heights
Cluster 39 is Congress Heights, Bellevue, and Washington Highlands. Search Bellevue or Washington Highlands and you land here. ACS rent is the lowest in this set, $1,045. Violent rate is the highest here, 9.1 per 1,000. That is a count for the cluster, not a personality for every block. Anacostia is the smaller historic row north.
$1,045 median rent · safety 32 · walk 32
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Anacostia or Congress Heights?
Congress Heights is the lower ACS median: $1,424 vs $1,045. About 78% rent in Congress Heights vs 70% in Anacostia. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Anacostia more walkable than Congress Heights?
Congress Heights wins the errand count (walk 0 vs 32). Groceries inside 800 meters: 12 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Anacostia or Congress Heights?
Anacostia is the calmer DC Code read (42 vs 32). Combined rate 30.8 vs 33.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Anacostia or Congress Heights?
Anacostia leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.3 vs 37.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Anacostia to Downtown, 28 from Congress Heights. Anacostia is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Anacostia or Congress Heights: Navy Yard. Cluster 27 is Near Southeast and Navy Yard. Capitol Riverfront is the search that means this row. ACS rent is $2,760 and 87.6% of households rent — the most renter-heavy cluster in this set. The waterfront west of the channel is Southwest, its own cluster.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.