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Washington's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Washington.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Washington. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Washington neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Washington hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Washington area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Au-Tenleytown ranks way above the rest.
We examined 34 of Washington's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Washington's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Washington For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Washington for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Brentwood looks to be the worst neighborhood in Washington.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Washington that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Washington.
For more Washington Dc reading, check out:
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Washington For 2022
/10
Population: 28,660
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $375,268 (4th worst)
Median Income: $57,873 (3rd worst)
More on Brentwood: Data
/10
Population: 29,798
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $221,083 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $41,869 (2nd worst)
More on Deanwood: Data
/10
Population: 117,488
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $204,972 (worst)
Median Income: $38,135 (worst)
More on Anacostia: Data
/10
Population: 21,142
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $383,542 (7th worst)
Median Income: $67,389 (5th worst)
More on Stadium-Armory: Data
/10
Population: 11,100
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $376,320 (5th worst)
Median Income: $73,812 (7th worst)
More on South West: Data
/10
Population: 8,132
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $376,550 (6th worst)
Median Income: $96,571 (15th worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 24,123
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $409,893 (8th worst)
Median Income: $69,793 (6th worst)
More on Fort Totten-Upper Northeast: Data
/10
Population: 57,481
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $437,657 (9th worst)
Median Income: $77,486 (8th worst)
More on Catholic University-Brookland: Data
/10
Population: 55,592
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $587,596 (17th worst)
Median Income: $102,238 (19th worst)
More on Capitol Hill: Data
/10
Population: 34,835
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $549,242 (13th worst)
Median Income: $79,273 (9th worst)
More on Columbia Heights: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Washington neighborhoods in 2022
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Washington:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Washington, Washington Dc for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Washington.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Washington to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 34 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Washington
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Washington with Brentwood landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Washington aren't all bad. Au-Tenleytown takes the cake as the best place to live in Washington.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Washington Dc reading, check out:
Where Are The Worst Neighborhoods To Live In Washington For 2022?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentwood | 28,660 |
| 2 | Deanwood | 29,798 |
| 3 | Anacostia | 117,488 |
| 4 | Stadium-Armory | 21,142 |
| 5 | South West | 11,100 |
| 6 | Downtown | 8,132 |
| 7 | Fort Totten-Upper Northeast | 24,123 |
| 8 | Catholic University-Brookland | 57,481 |
| 9 | Capitol Hill | 55,592 |
| 10 | Columbia Heights | 34,835 |
| 11 | Mount Vernon Square | 6,077 |
| 12 | Brightwood | 16,318 |
| 13 | Foggy Bottom | 16,297 |
| 14 | Shaw | 13,782 |
| 15 | Ledroit Park | 11,683 |
| 16 | Petworth | 11,886 |
| 17 | U Street Corridor | 10,104 |
| 18 | Takoma Park | 5,302 |
| 19 | Mount Pleasant | 12,696 |
| 20 | Dupont Circle | 13,633 |
| 21 | Adams Morgan | 17,154 |
| 22 | Friendship Heights | 3,065 |
| 23 | Logan Circle | 13,768 |
| 24 | Foxhall Village | 912 |
| 25 | Georgetown | 14,118 |
| 26 | Berkley | 2,252 |
| 27 | Glover Park | 12,937 |
| 28 | Kalorama | 2,608 |
| 29 | Woodley Park | 7,667 |
| 30 | Barnaby Woods | 9,436 |
| 31 | Chevy Chase | 18,506 |
| 32 | The Palisades | 3,598 |
| 33 | Cleveland Park | 11,732 |
| 34 | Au-Tenleytown | 18,855 |
