Washington, DC/Compare
Capitol Hill vs Columbia Heights
Capitol Hill and Columbia Heights are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code map (84 vs 47). Columbia Heights wins the errand count. Columbia Heights has the lower ACS median ($2,013).
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 | Capitol Hill | Columbia Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 84 | 47 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 38 | 55 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 38 | 30 |
| Median rent | $2,341 | $2,013 |
| Median home | $1,001,504 | $856,391 |
| Population | 30,060 | 51,000 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 6 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 12 min | 30 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Capitol Hill | Columbia Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 44% | 64% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 32.6 |
| Median income | $167K | $123K |
| DC Code per 1k | 24.9 | 30.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 16 | 38 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 78 | 100 |
| Parks / 800m | 81 | 48 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Cap Hill is 20% above the 2024 city median. Col. Hts is 3% above 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 Capitol Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 84 vs 47. Capitol Hill is tagged family on this map; Columbia Heights is not. Vibe is 38 vs 30. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Columbia Heights if you want the errands on foot and the rent gap is the point. Walk is 55 vs 38. ACS median rent is $2,013 vs $2,341. Vibe is 30 vs 38. Read both pages before you decide.
Capitol Hill
Cluster 26 is Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park. Row houses, the park, and a violent rate of 1.6 per 1,000. Eastern Market is the errand people mean. Navy Yard is the new buildings south, its own cluster. The corridor north of here is Stanton Park.
$2,341 median rent · safety 84 · walk 38
Columbia Heights
Cluster 2 is Columbia Heights, Mt. Pleasant, Pleasant Plains, and Park View — one polygon, not four. It is the largest population in this set, 51,000. Search Mt. Pleasant and you still land here. Petworth is north.
$2,013 median rent · safety 47 · walk 55
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Capitol Hill or Columbia Heights?
Columbia Heights is the lower ACS median: $2,341 vs $2,013. About 64% rent in Columbia Heights vs 44% in Capitol Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Capitol Hill more walkable than Columbia Heights?
Columbia Heights wins the errand count (walk 38 vs 55). Groceries inside 800 meters: 16 vs 38. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Capitol Hill or Columbia Heights?
Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code read (84 vs 47). Combined rate 24.9 vs 30.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Capitol Hill or Columbia Heights?
Capitol Hill leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 36.5 vs 32.6. Columbia Heights has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Capitol Hill to Downtown, 18 from Columbia Heights. Capitol Hill is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Capitol Hill or Columbia Heights: Logan Circle. Cluster 7 is Shaw and Logan Circle. Search Shaw or U Street and you land here, not on the Howard cluster to the north. 14th Street is the strip; the side blocks are houses. Property rate is 21.4 per 1,000, quieter than Dupont’s visitor count. Dupont is west.
Capitol Hill vs Logan CircleColumbia Heights vs Logan Circle
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.