Best PlacesDistrict of Columbia, DC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in District of Columbia, 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.
District of Columbia ranks 252nd of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. Paychecks stretch further here than almost anywhere else: the median household brings in $127,077, wages outrun the cost of living, and an educated workforce ranks near the top of the country. The main drawbacks are childcare costs, noise, and crime.
The best neighborhoods in District of Columbia
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.
District of Columbia's strengths and weaknesses
District of Columbia ranks where it does because the parts of life that are hardest to change mostly work here. State infrastructure is the standout, in the top 1% of counties. Biking and an educated workforce follow.
The one real hole is childcare costs, near the bottom of the country. Noise and crime also cost it ground. The measures below break that down, and the map shows how much of it holds street by street.
Where District of Columbia ranks high
- State infrastructureBetter than 99% of counties
- BikingBetter than 99% of counties
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of counties
- WalkabilityBetter than 99% of counties
- Cell coverageBetter than 99% of counties
Where District of Columbia ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,143 a month, better than only 1% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 1% of counties
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of counties
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 8% of counties
- Nice weatherabout 66 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in District of Columbia
A household needs to earn about $207,000 a year to comfortably buy the median District of Columbia home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $127,077, 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 District of Columbia's effective rate of 0.57%, 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 District of Columbia
District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia.
Who works in District of Columbia, and how
Work in District of Columbia centers on professional & technical and public administration. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 34%
- Work from home 32%
- Transit, walk, or bike 34%
Life in District of Columbia
District of Columbia has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of counties and more late-night spots per resident than 98% of counties. The coast is about 27 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of District of Columbia and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is District of Columbia growing, and who is moving in?
District of Columbia has grown about 6% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from the rest of the Washington, DC metro.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving District of Columbia go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in District of Columbia, month by month
District of Columbia sees roughly 66 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 District of Columbia
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.
The best schools in and around District of Columbia
Schools across District of Columbia average a C, better than 42% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Claremont ImmersionA− · 61% proficient
Top middle schools
- Gunston MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Takoma Park MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Gwynn Park MiddleD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Wakefield HighA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every District of Columbia school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia against the other 3,143 counties.
Who District of Columbia suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of counties, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 32% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in District of Columbia
Is District of Columbia a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, District of Columbia ranks 252nd of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on state infrastructure, biking, and an educated workforce, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is District of Columbia expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $816,364. The overall cost of living runs about 43% above the national average. Set against a $127,077 median income, cost of living beats 79% of counties.
Is District of Columbia safe?
District of Columbia is safer than 4% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,084 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in District of Columbia?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 30. That works out to about 66 pleasant days a year, more than 13% of counties.
Is District of Columbia good for families?
Schools beat 42% of counties, crime safety beats 4%, and childcare runs $2,143 a month.
Is District of Columbia good for remote workers?
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of counties, and the fastest advertised internet here beats 64% of counties. About 32% of workers already work from home.
Compare District of Columbia with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to District of Columbia. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in District of Columbia 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.
District of Columbia detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for District of Columbia: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in District of Columbia: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of District of Columbia: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in District of Columbia: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
District of Columbia 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.