Washington, DC/Compare
Dupont Circle vs Tenleytown
Dupont Circle and Tenleytown are two official neighborhood clusters in Washington, DC. Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code map (74 vs 5). Dupont Circle wins the errand count. Dupont Circle has the lower ACS median ($2,255).
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 | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 5 | 74 |
| Schools | 50 | 50 |
| Walk | 67 | 12 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 79 | 15 |
| Median rent | $2,255 | $2,413 |
| Median home | $547,867 | $1,280,291 |
| Population | 14,998 | 11,934 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 28 min |
| Commute to Capitol | 16 min | 34 min |
| Commute to Navy Yard | 24 min | 40 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Dupont Circle | Tenleytown |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 66% | 28% |
| Median age | 33.6 | 47 |
| Median income | $116K | $239K |
| DC Code per 1k | 67.0 | 26.5 |
| Groceries / 800m | 12 | 7 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 122 | 66 |
| Parks / 800m | 54 | 47 |
| 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. 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 Dupont Circle if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 79 vs 15. Walk is 67 vs 12. 10 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 5. Tenleytown is tagged family on this map; Dupont Circle is not. 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
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, Dupont Circle or Tenleytown?
Dupont Circle is the lower ACS median: $2,255 vs $2,413. About 66% rent in Dupont Circle vs 28% in Tenleytown. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Dupont Circle more walkable than Tenleytown?
Dupont Circle wins the errand count (walk 67 vs 12). Groceries inside 800 meters: 12 vs 7. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Dupont Circle or Tenleytown?
Tenleytown is the calmer DC Code read (74 vs 5). Combined rate 26.5 vs 67.0 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Dupont Circle or Tenleytown?
Dupont Circle leads the school axis (50 vs 50). Nearby rating is thin vs thin. Median age 33.6 vs 47. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
10 minutes from Dupont Circle to Downtown, 28 from Tenleytown. 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 Tenleytown: 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.