Washington, DC/Compare
Capitol Hill vs Congress Heights
Capitol Hill and Congress Heights are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code map (84 vs 32). Capitol Hill 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 | Capitol Hill | Congress Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 84 | 32 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 38 | 32 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 38 | 2 |
| Median rent | $2,341 | $1,045 |
| Median home | $1,001,504 | $446,449 |
| Population | 30,060 | 23,206 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 6 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 12 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Capitol Hill | Congress Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 44% | 78% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 37.7 |
| Median income | $167K | $44K |
| DC Code per 1k | 24.9 | 33.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 16 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 78 | 163 |
| Parks / 800m | 81 | 22 |
| 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. 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 Capitol Hill if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 84 vs 32. Vibe is 38 vs 2. 14 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Congress Heights if the rent gap is the point. ACS median rent is $1,045 vs $2,341. 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
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, Capitol Hill or Congress Heights?
Congress Heights is the lower ACS median: $2,341 vs $1,045. About 78% rent in Congress Heights vs 44% in Capitol Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Capitol Hill more walkable than Congress Heights?
Capitol Hill wins the errand count (walk 38 vs 32). Groceries inside 800 meters: 16 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Capitol Hill or Congress Heights?
Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code read (84 vs 32). Combined rate 24.9 vs 33.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Capitol Hill or Congress Heights?
Capitol Hill leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 36.5 vs 37.7. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
14 minutes from Capitol Hill to Downtown, 28 from Congress 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 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.