Washington, DC/Compare
Columbia Heights vs Petworth
Columbia Heights and Petworth are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Petworth is the calmer DC Code map (63 vs 47). 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 | Columbia Heights | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 63 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 55 | 70 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 30 | 36 |
| Median rent | $2,013 | $1,730 |
| Median home | $856,391 | $809,640 |
| Population | 51,000 | 39,929 |
| Commute to Downtown | 18 min | 24 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 22 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 30 min | 36 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Columbia Heights | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 64% | 36% |
| Median age | 32.6 | 39 |
| Median income | $123K | $140K |
| DC Code per 1k | 30.6 | 26.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 38 | 34 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 100 | 134 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 78 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Col. Hts is 3% 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 Columbia Heights if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point and you want the cafes and the night. 18 vs 24 minutes to Downtown. Vibe is 30 vs 36. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Petworth if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the errands on foot. Safety is 63 vs 47. Walk is 70 vs 55. ACS median rent is $1,730 vs $2,013. Read both pages before you decide.
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
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, Columbia Heights or Petworth?
Petworth is the lower ACS median: $2,013 vs $1,730. About 36% rent in Petworth vs 64% in Columbia Heights. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Columbia Heights more walkable than Petworth?
Petworth wins the errand count (walk 55 vs 70). Groceries inside 800 meters: 38 vs 34. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Columbia Heights or Petworth?
Petworth is the calmer DC Code read (63 vs 47). Combined rate 26.9 vs 30.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Columbia Heights or Petworth?
Columbia Heights leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 32.6 vs 39. Petworth has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
18 minutes from Columbia Heights to Downtown, 24 from Petworth. Columbia Heights is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Columbia Heights or Petworth: LeDroit Park. Cluster 3 is Howard University, LeDroit Park, and Cardozo. The name on this row is LeDroit. The 14th Street strip belongs on Logan Circle, Cluster 7 — not this polygon. ACS rent is $2,752. The property rate is 57.8 per 1,000 because that edge is busy.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.