Washington, DC/Compare
Dupont Circle vs Southwest
Dupont Circle and Southwest are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Southwest is the calmer DC Code map (58 vs 5). Dupont Circle 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 | Dupont Circle | Southwest |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 58 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 67 | 39 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 79 | 48 |
| Median rent | $2,255 | $2,213 |
| Median home | $547,867 | $496,837 |
| Population | 14,998 | 16,380 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 12 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 16 min | 14 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 24 min | 10 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Dupont Circle | Southwest |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 69% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 36.3 |
| Median income | $116K | $113K |
| DC Code per 1k | 67.0 | 28.9 |
| Groceries / 800m | 12 | 5 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 122 | 81 |
| Parks / 800m | 54 | 110 |
| 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. 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 Dupont Circle if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 79 vs 48. Walk is 67 vs 39. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Southwest if the quieter map matters more than the scene. Safety is 58 vs 5. 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
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, Dupont Circle or Southwest?
Southwest is the lower ACS median: $2,255 vs $2,213. About 69% rent in Southwest vs 66% in Dupont Circle. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Dupont Circle more walkable than Southwest?
Dupont Circle wins the errand count (walk 67 vs 39). Groceries inside 800 meters: 12 vs 5. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Dupont Circle or Southwest?
Southwest is the calmer DC Code read (58 vs 5). Combined rate 28.9 vs 67.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Dupont Circle or Southwest?
Dupont Circle leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.6 vs 36.3. Southwest 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, 12 from Southwest. 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 Southwest: 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.