Washington, DC/Compare
Cleveland Park vs Southwest
Cleveland Park and Southwest are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Cleveland Park is the calmer DC Code map (79 vs 58). Southwest wins the errand count. Southwest has the lower ACS median ($2,213).
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 | Southwest |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 79 | 58 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 14 | 39 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 14 | 48 |
| Median rent | $2,260 | $2,213 |
| Median home | $1,270,906 | $496,837 |
| Population | 15,454 | 16,380 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 12 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 30 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 36 min | 10 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Cleveland Park | Southwest |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 62% | 69% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 36.3 |
| Median income | $145K | $113K |
| DC Code per 1k | 25.8 | 28.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 6 | 5 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 76 | 81 |
| Parks / 800m | 31 | 110 |
| 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. SW is 13% 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 58. Cleveland Park is tagged family on this map; Southwest is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Southwest if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 48 vs 14. Walk is 39 vs 14. 12 vs 22 minutes to Downtown. 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
Southwest
Cluster 9 is Southwest Employment Area, Southwest/Waterfront, Fort McNair, and Buzzard Point. Search the Wharf and you land here. Waterfront apartments and a federal edge. The park count of 110 includes the Mall within 800 meters, not a hundred local parks. Navy Yard is the newer towers east, its own cluster.
$2,213 median rent · safety 58 · walk 39
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Cleveland Park or Southwest?
Southwest is the lower ACS median: $2,260 vs $2,213. About 69% rent in Southwest vs 62% in Cleveland Park. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Cleveland Park more walkable than Southwest?
Southwest wins the errand count (walk 14 vs 39). Groceries inside 800 meters: 6 vs 5. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Cleveland Park or Southwest?
Cleveland Park is the calmer DC Code read (79 vs 58). Combined rate 25.8 vs 28.9 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Cleveland Park or Southwest?
Cleveland Park leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 40.8 vs 36.3. Southwest 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, 12 from Southwest. Southwest is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Cleveland Park or Southwest: Dupont Circle. Cluster 6 is Dupont Circle and Connecticut Avenue/K Street. The circle is the lawn and the night. OSM counted 245 restaurants in or near the cluster — visitors write the property rate, 62.6 per 1,000. Logan Circle is east. Adams Morgan is north.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.