Washington, DC/Compare
Columbia Heights vs Tenleytown
Columbia Heights and Tenleytown are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code map (74 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 | Columbia Heights | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 74 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 55 | 12 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 30 | 15 |
| Median rent | $2,013 | $2,413 |
| Median home | $856,391 | $1,280,291 |
| Population | 51,000 | 11,934 |
| Commute to Downtown | 18 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 22 min | 34 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 30 min | 40 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Columbia Heights | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 64% | 28% |
| Median age | 32.6 | 47 |
| Median income | $123K | $239K |
| DC Code per 1k | 30.6 | 26.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 38 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 100 | 66 |
| Parks / 800m | 48 | 47 |
| 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. Tenley is 23% 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 Columbia Heights if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 55 vs 12. Vibe is 30 vs 15. ACS median rent is $2,013 vs $2,413. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Tenleytown if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the quieter, family-leaning read. Safety is 74 vs 47. Tenleytown is tagged family on this map; Columbia Heights is not. 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
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.
$2,413 median rent · safety 74 · walk 12
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Columbia Heights or Tenleytown?
Columbia Heights is the lower ACS median: $2,013 vs $2,413. About 64% rent in Columbia Heights vs 28% in Tenleytown. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Columbia Heights more walkable than Tenleytown?
Columbia Heights wins the errand count (walk 55 vs 12). Groceries inside 800 meters: 38 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Columbia Heights or Tenleytown?
Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code read (74 vs 47). Combined rate 26.5 vs 30.6 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Columbia Heights or Tenleytown?
Columbia Heights leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 32.6 vs 47. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
18 minutes from Columbia Heights to Downtown, 28 from Tenleytown. 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 Tenleytown: 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.