Washington, DC/Compare
Dupont Circle vs Petworth
Dupont Circle and Petworth are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Petworth is the calmer DC Code map (63 vs 5). Walk is a wash (67 vs 70). 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 | Dupont Circle | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 63 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 67 | 70 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 79 | 36 |
| Median rent | $2,255 | $1,730 |
| Median home | $547,867 | $809,640 |
| Population | 14,998 | 39,929 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 24 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 16 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 24 min | 36 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Dupont Circle | Petworth |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 36% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 39 |
| Median income | $116K | $140K |
| DC Code per 1k | 67.0 | 26.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 12 | 34 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 122 | 134 |
| Parks / 800m | 54 | 78 |
| 311 last 14 days | — | — |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Washington city. Up 50% since 2014. Dupont is 15% 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 Dupont Circle if you want the cafes and the night and the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. Vibe is 79 vs 36. 10 vs 24 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Petworth if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 63 vs 5. ACS median rent is $1,730 vs $2,255. Read both pages before you decide.
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.
$2,255 median rent · safety 5 · walk 67
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, Dupont Circle or Petworth?
Petworth is the lower ACS median: $2,255 vs $1,730. About 36% rent in Petworth vs 66% in Dupont Circle. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Dupont Circle more walkable than Petworth?
Walk is basically a tie (67 vs 70). Count groceries if you care: 12 in Dupont Circle vs 34 in Petworth, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Dupont Circle or Petworth?
Petworth is the calmer DC Code read (63 vs 5). Combined rate 26.9 vs 67.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Dupont Circle or Petworth?
Dupont Circle leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.6 vs 39. Petworth has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
10 minutes from Dupont Circle to Downtown, 24 from Petworth. Dupont Circle is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official neighborhood cluster that is not Dupont Circle or Petworth: Adams Morgan. Cluster 1 is Kalorama Heights, Adams Morgan, and Lanier Heights. Search AdMo and you land here. 18th Street is the night; the ACS rent median is $2,350. Columbia Heights is the larger cluster north.
Scores are relative among official Washington, DC neighborhood clusters with the same editorial weights. Read the method.