Best PlacesCapitol Hill, Washington, DC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Capitol Hill, Washington, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Capitol Hill, Washington ranks 911th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state infrastructure by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Capitol Hill, Washington
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Capitol Hill, Washington's strengths and weaknesses
Where Capitol Hill, Washington ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
Where Capitol Hill, Washington ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,143 a month, better than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Capitol Hill, Washington
A household needs to earn about $236,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Capitol Hill, Washington home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $144,818, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Capitol Hill, Washington's effective rate of 0.59%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Capitol Hill, Washington
Capitol Hill, Washington runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Capitol Hill, Washington.
Who works in Capitol Hill, Washington, and how
Work in Capitol Hill, Washington centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 25%
- Work from home 37%
- Transit, walk, or bike 38%
Life in Capitol Hill, Washington
Capitol Hill, Washington has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 80% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 25 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Capitol Hill, Washington and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Capitol Hill, Washington, month by month
Capitol Hill, Washington sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 38° | 30° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 74° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of Capitol Hill, Washington
Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl sits about 4 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.0 million passengers in 2025, with 128 nonstop destinations.
Capitol Hill, Washington measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Capitol Hill, Washington against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Capitol Hill, Washington suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 72% of neighborhoods and 37% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Capitol Hill, Washington
Is Capitol Hill, Washington a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Capitol Hill, Washington ranks 911th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state infrastructure, walkability, and population health, and lowest on childcare costs and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Capitol Hill, Washington expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $931,844. The overall cost of living runs about 55% above the national average. Set against a $144,818 median income, cost of living beats 72% of neighborhoods.
Is Capitol Hill, Washington safe?
Capitol Hill, Washington is safer than 23% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,011 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Capitol Hill, Washington?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 30. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 15% of neighborhoods.
Is Capitol Hill, Washington good for families?
Schools beat 42% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 23%, and childcare runs $2,143 a month.
Compare Capitol Hill, Washington with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Capitol Hill, Washington. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Capitol Hill, Washington represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Capitol Hill, Washington detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Capitol Hill, Washington: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Capitol Hill, Washington: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Capitol Hill, Washington: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Capitol Hill, Washington: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Capitol Hill, Washington detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.