Washington, DC/Compare
Capitol Hill vs Petworth
Capitol Hill and Petworth are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code map (84 vs 63). Petworth wins the errand count. Petworth has the lower ACS median ($1,730).
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 | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 84 | 63 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 38 | 70 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 38 | 36 |
| Median rent | $2,341 | $1,730 |
| Median home | $1,001,504 | $809,640 |
| Population | 30,060 | 39,929 |
| Commute to Downtown | 14 min | 24 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 6 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 12 min | 36 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Capitol Hill | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 44% | 36% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 39 |
| Median income | $167K | $140K |
| DC Code per 1k | 24.9 | 26.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 16 | 34 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 78 | 134 |
| Parks / 800m | 81 | 78 |
| 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. Petworth is 11% 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 the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Safety is 84 vs 63. 14 vs 24 minutes to Downtown. Capitol Hill is tagged family on this map; Petworth is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Petworth if you want the errands on foot and the rent gap is the point. Walk is 70 vs 38. ACS median rent is $1,730 vs $2,341. Vibe is 36 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
Petworth
Cluster 18 is Brightwood Park, Crestwood, and Petworth. More house than bar, and the ACS rent median is $1,730 — below the northwest clusters. Georgia Avenue is the spine. Columbia Heights is south.
$1,730 median rent · safety 63 · walk 70
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Capitol Hill or Petworth?
Petworth is the lower ACS median: $2,341 vs $1,730. About 36% rent in Petworth vs 44% in Capitol Hill. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Capitol Hill more walkable than Petworth?
Petworth wins the errand count (walk 38 vs 70). Groceries inside 800 meters: 16 vs 34. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Capitol Hill or Petworth?
Capitol Hill is the calmer DC Code read (84 vs 63). Combined rate 24.9 vs 26.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Capitol Hill or Petworth?
Capitol Hill leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 36.5 vs 39. Petworth 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, 24 from Petworth. 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 Petworth: Stanton Park. Cluster 25 is Union Station, Stanton Park, and Kingman Park. Search H Street and you land here, not in Trinidad. The station and the corridor pull visitors; property rate is 38.2 per 1,000. Capitol Hill is the row houses south.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.