Washington, DC/Compare
Cleveland Park vs Columbia Heights
Cleveland Park and Columbia Heights are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Cleveland Park is the calmer DC Code map (79 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 | Cleveland Park | Columbia Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 47 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 14 | 55 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 14 | 30 |
| Median rent | $2,260 | $2,013 |
| Median home | $1,270,906 | $856,391 |
| Population | 15,454 | 51,000 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 18 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 30 min | 22 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 36 min | 30 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Cleveland Park | Columbia Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 62% | 64% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 32.6 |
| Median income | $145K | $123K |
| DC Code per 1k | 25.8 | 30.6 |
| Groceries / 800m | 6 | 38 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 76 | 100 |
| Parks / 800m | 31 | 48 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Cleve Pk is 16% 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 Cleveland Park if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 79 vs 47. Cleveland Park is tagged family on this map; Columbia Heights is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Columbia Heights if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 55 vs 14. Vibe is 30 vs 14. ACS median rent is $2,013 vs $2,260. Read both pages before you decide.
Cleveland Park
Cluster 15 is Cleveland Park, Woodley Park, Massachusetts Avenue Heights, and Woodland-Normanstone Terrace. Search Woodley Park and you land here. Violent rate is the lowest in this set, 0.6 per 1,000. ACS home value is $1,270,906. Adams Morgan is the night south of here.
$2,260 median rent · safety 79 · walk 14
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, Cleveland Park or Columbia Heights?
Columbia Heights is the lower ACS median: $2,260 vs $2,013. About 64% rent in Columbia Heights vs 62% in Cleveland Park. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Cleveland Park more walkable than Columbia Heights?
Columbia Heights wins the errand count (walk 14 vs 55). Groceries inside 800 meters: 6 vs 38. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Cleveland Park or Columbia Heights?
Cleveland Park is the calmer DC Code read (79 vs 47). Combined rate 25.8 vs 30.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Cleveland Park or Columbia Heights?
Cleveland Park leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 40.8 vs 32.6. Columbia Heights has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Cleveland Park to Downtown, 18 from Columbia Heights. Columbia Heights is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Cleveland Park or Columbia Heights: Tenleytown. Cluster 11 is Friendship Heights, American University Park, and Tenleytown. Search Friendship Heights or AU Park and you land here. Median age is 47, the oldest in this set, and ACS income is $239,075. About 28% of households rent. Cleveland Park is south.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.