Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 46/100
D
Median home value$737,100
Washington $579,900
Median rent$1,954/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households36%
Washington 31%
Washington
District of Columbia County681,294 residentsDistrict of Columbia Public Schools
67
C+
Suburbgrade score
17th of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and cost of living, held back by housing & affordability.
67
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Washington yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 67 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Washington is like to live in, by category
Bars show Washington against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 68/100
B−
Within-state proficiency77th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.0
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate65%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 83/100
A−
Housing cost index103
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.60%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax—
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 60/100
C
Mean commute30.0 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes49%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi72
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 100/100
A+
Restaurants & cafés1,368
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries37
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks435
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Median household income$109,870
Washington $126,684
Unemployment6.3%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations72%
Washington 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
—
No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Washington yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
—
Do you feel safe walking after dark?
—
Can you walk to a grocery store?
—
Is it good for young children?
—
Are yards and streets well kept?
—
Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Washington on housing & affordability
Washington's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
McLean10 mi from WashingtonA 72 B− Potomac12 mi from WashingtonB+ 67 C+ Burke16 mi from WashingtonB 67 C+ Bethesda8 mi from WashingtonB− 73 B North Potomac18 mi from WashingtonB− 68 B− Olney17 mi from WashingtonB− 66 C+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Washington
Is Washington, DC a good place to live?
Washington scores 67 out of 100, 17th of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Washington expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades A−. The median home is $737,100, 27% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.60%. $1,954/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Washington?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Washington sit at the 77th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 65% graduation rate and a 11.0 student–teacher ratio. Washington is served by District of Columbia Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Washington?
The mean commute is 30.0 min, with 49% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 33% working from home. Transit density is 72 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Washington?
Within two miles there are 37 groceries, 1,368 restaurants and cafés and 435 parks, which grades A+ on amenities.
Are the homes in Washington old or new?
The median home in Washington was built in 1958 — older than the Washington median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 33% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.