Population 24,341 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Petworth: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Petworth
Household size in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.65 | 2.73 | 2.19 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.90 | 2.82 | 2.29 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.01 | 2.86 | 2.38 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.45 | 2.77 | 2.09 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.20 | +0.04 | −0.11 | −0.03 |
Households in Petworth run small, averaging 2.45 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.65, a much bigger shift than nationally. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the north.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.9 | 37.0 | 36.0 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.7 | 37.6 | 35.6 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.6 | 38.5 | 35.4 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.7 | 39.2 | 36.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | −1.2 | +2.2 | +0.2 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in Petworth are younger than 38.7 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. The median age has dropped from 39.9 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose. Residents skew youngest in the north and oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.9% | 11.3% | 14.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.5% | 11.3% | 12.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.3% | 10.4% | 12.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.1% | 10.4% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −0.9 pts | −2.5 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Petworth (10.1%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. That is in line with the rest of the Washington area. The single-parent share has fallen 1.7 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Petworth
Renters in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.6% | 34.0% | 56.5% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 42.9% | 36.6% | 58.4% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 41.2% | 36.8% | 58.4% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 34.3% | 36.3% | 58.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | −7.3 pts | +2.3 pts | +2.0 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Petworth is about as common as it is nationally: 34.3% of households rent, against 34.8%. Nearly one in five owners (18.8%) have paid off their mortgages, well below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the south and least common in the north. The renter share has fallen 7.3 points since 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.2% | 8.7% | 13.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.6% | 7.3% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.4% | 6.6% | 10.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 5.9% | 10.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −2.8 pts | −3.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Petworth: 8.0% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. Locally, though, the rate is higher than in the wider Washington area (5.9%). Vacancy has edged down 1.1 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1940 | 1977 | 1952 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1940 | 1978 | 1954 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1943 | 1979 | 1957 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1947 | 1982 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +6 | +10 | +6 |
The housing in Petworth is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1947, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. The median year built has moved up from 1940 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the south, the oldest in the north.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,120 | $1,470 | $1,166 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,333 | $1,583 | $1,368 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,403 | $1,907 | $1,677 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,157 | $2,236 | $2,078 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,037 | +$766 | +$912 | +$606 |
Rent in Petworth runs $2,157 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents are up $1,037 a month from 2006–10, a 93% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 28.1% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Petworth
Bachelor's degrees in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.4% | 46.6% | 47.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 42.4% | 48.2% | 52.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 52.2% | 51.0% | 58.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 65.8% | 53.9% | 63.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +29.4 pts | +7.3 pts | +16.2 pts | +7.2 pts |
Petworth is highly educated: about two-thirds of adults 25 and older (65.8%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 29.4 points since 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the northeast.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 79.4% | 89.4% | 86.0% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 85.8% | 90.2% | 88.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 85.7% | 90.8% | 91.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.3% | 91.2% | 92.7% | 89.3% |
| Change | +10.9 pts | +1.7 pts | +6.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Petworth have finished high school as nationally: 90.3%, against 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 10.9 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Petworth
| Period | Petworth | Washington area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.1% | 5.9% | 10.4% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 11.7% | 6.9% | 11.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.0% | 4.7% | 7.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.1% | 4.8% | 7.0% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.0 pts | −1.1 pts | −3.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Petworth runs well above the national rate: 10.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Unemployment has edged down 1.0 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Petworth compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petworth | 2.45 | 38.7 | 10.1% | 34.3% | 8.0% | 1947 | $2,157 | 65.8% | 90.3% | 10.1% |
| Mount Pleasant | 2.38 | 34.4 | 8.8% | 67.1% | 9.4% | 1940 | $2,027 | 71.5% | 90.6% | 7.7% |
| Columbia Heights | 2.09 | 31.9 | 14.3% | 66.0% | 8.7% | 1958 | $2,082 | 66.7% | 89.4% | 5.6% |
| Brightwood | 2.42 | 40.6 | 15.0% | 55.0% | 7.9% | 1948 | $1,588 | 47.0% | 86.4% | 5.6% |
| Catholic University-Brookland | 2.33 | 35.5 | 13.4% | 52.0% | 10.9% | 1963 | $1,812 | 54.1% | 90.0% | 6.6% |
| Fort Totten-Upper Northeast | 2.64 | 37.0 | 12.9% | 34.0% | 9.2% | 1951 | $1,849 | 55.2% | 93.6% | 4.2% |
| Adams Morgan | 1.65 | 37.5 | 4.1% | 64.7% | 10.3% | 1945 | $2,494 | 89.7% | 98.2% | 1.7% |
| U Street Corridor | 1.75 | 33.0 | 6.7% | 66.2% | 9.4% | 1981 | $2,716 | 82.7% | 95.8% | 2.1% |
| Ledroit Park | 2.11 | 30.9 | 5.5% | 41.7% | 10.4% | 1939 | $2,702 | 79.4% | 96.3% | 3.5% |
| Michigan Park | 2.35 | 40.5 | 10.8% | 14.5% | 3.5% | 1961 | $1,881 | 54.4% | 92.2% | 4.7% |
| Woodley Park | 1.85 | 38.2 | 4.3% | 70.7% | 9.3% | 1950 | $2,480 | 91.9% | 98.0% | 4.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Urbandale-Parkdale, Dallas, TX · Inner Sunset, San Francisco, CA · Kingsessing, Philadelphia, PA · Woodbridge, Irvine, CA · Metro West, Orlando, FL · West Village, Manhattan, NY · West Seattle, Seattle, WA · West Price Hill, Cincinnati, OH · Weequahic, Newark, NJ · Highland, St. Paul, MN
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Petworth. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.