The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Washington For 2022


Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Washington are the best. If you’re in one of the places we’re about to highlight, odds are you know you’ve got it made.

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Do you like your neighborhood?

Is it friendly, and where everyone knows their neighbors?

No matter if you live in the sticks or in an apartment building in downtown Washington, you have a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood is different.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits -- less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Washington neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Washington are the best. If you're in one of the places we're about to highlight, odds are you know you've got it made. So, if you're thinking of moving to Washington Dc and Washington is on the top of your list, check out our best neighborhoods to live in.

Here are the best neighborhoods in Washington for 2022.

So what's the best neighborhood to live in Washington for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Au-Tenleytown looks to be the best Washington neighborhood to live in.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Washington that deserve a little bragging rights or maybe you're interested in the worst neighborhoods in Washington.

Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from best to worst.

Best Neighborhoods In Washington
Source: Public domain

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Washington

Population: 18,855
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $973,793 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $178,534 (best)
More on Au-Tenleytown: Homes For Sale | Data

Au-Tenleytown Washington, DC

Population: 11,732
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $759,100 (11th best)
Median Income: $138,234 (Tenth best)
More on Cleveland Park: Homes For Sale | Data

Cleveland Park Washington, DC

Population: 3,598
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $1,188,500 (Second best)
Median Income: $166,149 (Third best)
More on The Palisades: Homes For Sale | Data

The Palisades Washington, DC

Population: 18,506
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $919,342 (Ninth best)
Median Income: $142,356 (Eighth best)
More on Chevy Chase: Homes For Sale | Data

Chevy Chase Washington, DC

Population: 9,436
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $1,017,370 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $176,403 (Second best)
More on Barnaby Woods: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 7,667
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $948,260 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $140,259 (Ninth best)
More on Woodley Park: Homes For Sale | Data

Woodley Park Washington, DC

Population: 2,608
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $1,335,200 (best)
Median Income: $134,859 (11th best)
More on Kalorama: Homes For Sale | Data

Kalorama Washington, DC

Population: 12,937
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $573,173 (19th best)
Median Income: $115,917 (12th best)
More on Glover Park: Homes For Sale | Data

Population: 2,252
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $1,083,560 (Third best)
Median Income: $156,869 (Fourth best)
More on Berkley: Homes For Sale | Data

Berkley Washington, DC

Population: 14,118
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $1,056,531 (Fourth best)
Median Income: $150,426 (Sixth best)
More on Georgetown: Homes For Sale | Data

Georgetown Washington, DC

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Washington, DC Neighborhoods In 2022

In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Washington, we had to determine what criteria defines a "best".

Using crime, census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index the "Best City Neighborhood In Washington." We're lookin' at you, Au-Tenleytown.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best places Washington, Washington Dc has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Washington

If you're measuring the neighborhoods in Washington where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Washington aren't all good. Brentwood takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Washington.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Washington For 2022 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Au-Tenleytown 18,855 $973,793 $178,534
2 Cleveland Park 11,732 $759,100 $138,234
3 The Palisades 3,598 $1,188,500 $166,149
4 Chevy Chase 18,506 $919,342 $142,356
5 Barnaby Woods 9,436 $1,017,370 $176,403
6 Woodley Park 7,667 $948,260 $140,259
7 Kalorama 2,608 $1,335,200 $134,859
8 Glover Park 12,937 $573,173 $115,917
9 Berkley 2,252 $1,083,560 $156,869
10 Georgetown 14,118 $1,056,531 $150,426
11 Logan Circle 13,768 $538,670 $100,118
12 Foxhall Village 912 $944,350 $115,365
13 Friendship Heights 3,065 $828,100 $147,242
14 Adams Morgan 17,154 $529,538 $101,976
15 Dupont Circle 13,633 $522,360 $98,703
16 Mount Pleasant 12,696 $552,782 $91,084
17 U Street Corridor 10,104 $669,883 $107,136
18 Takoma Park 5,302 $751,983 $154,600
19 Petworth 11,886 $716,475 $102,992
20 Ledroit Park 11,683 $599,300 $94,929
21 Shaw 13,782 $652,492 $88,444
22 Foggy Bottom 16,297 $364,920 $66,121
23 Brightwood 16,318 $600,254 $81,113
24 Mount Vernon Square 6,077 $551,333 $86,024
25 Columbia Heights 34,835 $549,242 $79,273
26 Capitol Hill 55,592 $587,596 $102,238
27 Catholic University-Brookland 57,481 $437,657 $77,486
28 Fort Totten-Upper Northeast 24,123 $409,893 $69,793
29 Downtown 8,132 $376,550 $96,571
30 South West 11,100 $376,320 $73,812
31 Stadium-Armory 21,142 $383,542 $67,389
32 Anacostia 117,488 $204,972 $38,135
33 Deanwood 29,798 $221,083 $41,869
34 Brentwood 28,660 $375,268 $57,873

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Washington.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.