Overview of Dupont Circle
Introduction to Living in Dupont Circle, D.C.
Ask anyone who has hunted for homes for sale in Dupont Circle, and they will tell you the neighborhood feels like a pocket of European city life set inside Washington, DC.
Sidewalk cafés spill onto brick walks, mural-splashed alleys hide speakeasy bars, and the traffic circle itself hums at all hours. It is north of downtown, south of Rock Creek Park, and wrapped by Connecticut Avenue, so you can live near galleries one block and sushi spots the next.
The neighborhood appeals to people who want quick Metro access and a lively nightlife, along with the convenience of walking home after late evenings out
Geographical Location
Draw a box from M Street to Florida Avenue and from 16th Street to 22nd Street, and you have most of Dupont Circle. Georgetown sits just west, Logan Circle edges the east, and Adams Morgan rises uphill to the north, making it easy to wander between three of the best places to live in Washington without a car.
Connecticut Avenue slices the grid and carries commuters straight to downtown or north toward the National Cathedral’s towers.
Cost of Living in Dupont Circle
Living here costs more than the national average, no surprise for one of the safest neighborhoods in Washington, which also offers nightlife on every block.
BestPlaces gives Washington, DC, an overall cost-of-living score of 151.9, meaning daily expenses land about fifty-two percent higher than the U.S. baseline.
Dupont Circle skews even pricier because housing is mostly historic rowhouses carved into condos. Median home values hover around $467,815 according to Zillow’s June 2025 update, while the city median rests near $603,000.
Rent prices mirror that gap; studio apartments sit in the mid-two-thousands if they overlook the circle, slightly less on tree-lined one-way streets closer to Rock Creek Park.
Dupont Circle Crime Reports and Data
Property Crime
Property crime in Dupont Circle registers about 38 incidents per 1,000 residents each year, a number pulled from CrimeGrade’s 2025 dashboard. Theft from cars tops the list, followed by package pilfering that spikes around December.
Your chance of being a victim swings by block: one in seven south of P Street, where late-night crowds gather, versus one in forty on quieter blocks east of Connecticut Avenue.
Violent Crime
Violent crime, such as robbery, assault, sexual assault, and homicide, runs 7.886 incidents per 1,000 residents.
That rate is above the national average but not far from the Washington, D.C., city average. Locals see most robberies between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., especially near the Dupont Circle Metro escalators.
Serious violent crimes still feel rare enough that many Dupont Circle residents say they feel safe on evening dog walks.
Other Crime
Quality-of-life violations like vandalism, drug possession, or disorderly conduct land Dupont an “F” grade from CrimeGrade, reflecting the large number of people passing through nightlife corridors.
These incidents rarely involve direct harm, yet they inflate crime data and light up any real-time crime map in red areas around Connecticut Avenue after midnight.
Trends in Dupont Circle Crime Rates
From 2021 to 2023, violent and property numbers held fairly flat, even as Washington D.C. overall saw a modest spike in 2024.
Year-to-date 2025 MPD totals show city-wide violent crime down twenty-six percent, and Dupont Circle’s monthly tallies mirror that slide.
The drop lines up with brighter streetlighting around the circle and extra weekend patrols funded by the neighborhood’s Business Improvement District.
Comparing Crime Rates
Comparison of Dupont Circle Crime Rates with Washington, DC
Dupont’s 7.886 violent-crime rate sits above Washington, DC’s 6.4 per 1,000 residents, while property crime trails the city’s 34 per 1,000 by roughly four points.
In other words, the neighborhood has slightly higher violent crime and slightly higher theft than the city average, yet remains far safer than District hot spots east of the Anacostia River.
Crime Rate Comparison with Nearby Neighborhoods
Logan Circle shows a violent-crime rate near 6.6 per 1,000 and a property rate pushing 41, making it marginally safer on assaults but riskier on theft.
Georgetown posts only about two violent incidents per 1,000 residents, one reason many lists call it one of the safest neighborhoods in Washington, DC, but property crime there spikes to roughly 55 per 1,000 thanks to constant tourism along M Street.
Adams Morgan looks similar to Dupont on violence but drops to about 26 property crimes per 1,000, partly because residential streets sit one block uphill from nightlife clusters.
Safety Measures and Resources
Chance of Being a Victim of Crime in Dupont Circle
Combine violent and property categories, and you get roughly 46 incidents per 1,000 residents, or a one-in-22 annual chance of becoming a victim. Most incidents cluster within a three-block radius of the circle itself, so living two streets east or west cuts the risk dramatically. Many residents note that blocks north of R Street see less nightlife traffic, which some people prefer for a quieter environment.
Role of the Metropolitan Police Department
Dupont falls under the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District.
The main station at 3320 Idaho Avenue NW anchors weekend patrols that fan out along Connecticut Avenue and set up DUI checkpoints on 19th Street. The department also hosts Safe Exchange Zones, two parking spots under camera surveillance, for Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace meet-ups.
These zones give residents extra peace of mind when trading concert tickets or used bikes.
Community Safety Initiatives
The Dupont Circle Business Improvement District funds private guards who roam on Segways Thursday through Saturday evenings. Condo associations pass out motion-sensor floodlights and ring-camera rebates.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission meetings once a month let neighbors quiz officers on recent crime data and ask for foot patrols on specific corners.
National Night Out each August turns the circle into a block party where kids climb into cruisers and adults swap phone numbers with beat cops, one small reason Dupont Circle crime trends keep drifting downward.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Summary of Crime Statistics
Dupont Circle records about 7.9 violent crimes and 38 property crimes per 1,000 residents in a typical year.
Those numbers place the neighborhood above the national average yet close to city averages for Washington D.C. Violent incidents have dropped roughly twenty-six percent city-wide since 2024, and Dupont mirrors that trend. Property crime remains the primary headache, especially package theft and smash-and-grab car prowls.
Future Outlook for Crime in Dupont Circle
The BID plans additional street cameras along Connecticut Avenue and aims to expand alley-lighting grants to homeowners, steps likely to deter property crime. MPD’s violent-crime clearance rate climbed to sixty percent in early 2025, so suspects face higher odds of arrest.
As more condos fill formerly empty lots, “eyes on the street” should push Dupont Circle crime rates toward lower violent and property numbers, keeping the neighborhood’s reputation for peace of mind intact.
So, Is Dupont Circle One of the Safest Neighborhoods in Washington, DC?
Day to day, Dupont Circle feels safer than statistics alone suggest.
Residents walk to grocery stores at 10 p.m., grab late pho on 18th Street, or jog to the Washington National Cathedral at dawn.
Nearby schools include Ross Elementary and School Without Walls. GreatSchools currently rates Ross Elementary highly, and many families appreciate the easy Metro access for students
People compare the vibe to parts of Georgetown or Logan Circle: lively, sometimes noisy, yet also one of the safest places to live within the District of Columbia’s core.
Violent crime is present but rare; property crime is mostly petty theft that savvy city dwellers can mitigate with good locks and common sense. If higher crime worries you, living one block off Connecticut Avenue or choosing a building with a concierge eases concerns.
Dupont Circle Safety FAQs
CrimeGrade’s 2025 dashboard lists a violent crime rate of 7.886 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 38 per 1,000, totaling about 46 combined incidents per 1,000 people.
Late nights see pickpocketing and phone snatches near the south escalators, but MPD posts extra officers from Thursday through Saturday, and BID guards patrol until bars close. These measures are designed to reduce incidents and provide additional reassurance for riders using the station late at night
Newcomers can subscribe to MPD text alerts, register bikes, attend monthly ANC meetings, and use Safe Exchange Zones at the Second District station. Condo boards provide ring-camera discounts, and the BID’s weekend guards give residents and visitors extra eyes on the street, programs that support community engagement and provide additional visibility on the streets.
Georgetown posts lower violent crime but higher property theft, while Logan Circle shows slightly fewer violent crimes and slightly more property crime than Dupont. All three sit within a narrow band of statistics, so lifestyle and rent prices often outweigh safety differences.
It is not the lowest-crime area in the city, as neighborhoods north of Rock Creek Park report fewer violent incidents. Dupont balances central location, vibrant nightlife, and crime levels close to city averages, which some residents find an acceptable trade-off for urban living.
