Washington, DC/Compare
Downtown vs Tenleytown
Downtown and Tenleytown are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code map (74 vs 0). Downtown wins the errand count. Tenleytown has the lower ACS median ($2,413).
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 | Downtown | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 0 | 74 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 100 | 12 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 100 | 15 |
| Median rent | $2,469 | $2,413 |
| Median home | $654,755 | $1,280,291 |
| Population | 16,727 | 11,934 |
| Commute to Downtown | 6 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 12 min | 34 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 16 min | 40 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Downtown | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 78% | 28% |
| Median age | 33 | 47 |
| Median income | $123K | $239K |
| DC Code per 1k | 81.4 | 26.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 12 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 184 | 66 |
| Parks / 800m | 140 | 47 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Downtown is 26% 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 Downtown if you want the errands on foot and you want the cafes and the night. Walk is 100 vs 12. Vibe is 100 vs 15. 6 vs 28 minutes to Downtown. 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 0. Tenleytown is tagged family on this map; Downtown is not. Read both pages before you decide.
Downtown
Cluster 8 is Downtown, Chinatown, Penn Quarters, Mount Vernon Square, and North Capitol Street. The GIS spelling is Penn Quarters. Property rate is the highest in this set, 75.4 per 1,000, and the park count of 140 includes the Mall and people who do not sleep here. That is visitors and civic land, not a score for every side street.
$2,469 median rent · safety 0 · walk 100
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, Downtown or Tenleytown?
Tenleytown is the lower ACS median: $2,469 vs $2,413. About 28% rent in Tenleytown vs 78% in Downtown. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Downtown more walkable than Tenleytown?
Downtown wins the errand count (walk 100 vs 12). Groceries inside 800 meters: 12 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Downtown or Tenleytown?
Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code read (74 vs 0). Combined rate 26.5 vs 81.4 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Downtown or Tenleytown?
Downtown leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33 vs 47. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
6 minutes from Downtown to Downtown, 28 from Tenleytown. Downtown is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Downtown or Tenleytown: Foggy Bottom. Cluster 5 is West End, Foggy Bottom, and GWU. The campus pulls the median age to 28.8, the youngest in this set. Property rate is the lowest here, 14.0 per 1,000. Georgetown is the hill west. Downtown is the Mall side — a different cluster.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.