Washington, D.C.

Living in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter, DC

Among D.C.'s 16 largest neighborhood clusters, Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter has the largest share of rented homes (76% rented), the second-most condo and apartment buildings (92% in buildings of 10+ units) and the second-shortest average commute (24 minutes). With about 22,100 residents, it's D.C.'s 8th-largest neighborhood cluster. Below: prices, housing and getting around, and how Fred works here.

Get the Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter market report Plan a tour

Median home value: $371K–$874K; varies by area
Median rent: $1,268–$3,455; per month
Own their home: 24%; of households
Nearest Metro: 0.1 mi; Gallery Pl-Chinatown

At a glance

Homes, prices & getting around.

Typical home values here run from about $371K in some parts to $874K in others, against a D.C.-wide median of $737K. Typical rents run from $1,268 to $3,455 a month (D.C.: $1,954).

Housing here is mostly condo and apartment buildings — 92% of homes are in buildings of 10 or more units. Most homes are rented (76%, against 58% across D.C.). The housing stock spans eras: in some parts the typical home was built around 1968, in others around 2011.

The nearest Metro station is Gallery Pl-Chinatown (Red/Green/Yellow Lines), under half a mile from the center of Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter. Of workers here, 15% take public transit (below the D.C. rate of 20%) and 36% work from home.

Homes by type of building

Detached houses <1%
Townhouses 3%
2–9 unit buildings 5%
10+ unit buildings 92%

Residents: 22,117; 2020 Census
Homes: 15,048; 2020 Census
Typical home built: 1968 to 2011; varies by area
Avg. commute: 24 min; one way
Transit commuters: 15%; of workers
Work from home: 36%; of workers
Households: 12,516; ACS 2020–2024

Straight-line distance to major job centers

Downtown D.C.: <1 mi
Bethesda / NIH: 8 mi
Tysons: 11 mi
Fort Meade: 21 mi
Dulles Airport: 24 mi
Downtown Baltimore: 35 mi

As the crow flies from the community's Census center point; drive times vary with traffic — Fred can map your real commute.

Questions

Living in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter: common questions.

Which neighborhoods are in this part of D.C.?

The D.C. Office of Planning groups Downtown, Chinatown, Penn Quarter, Mount Vernon Square and North Capitol Street into one neighborhood cluster. Together they're home to 22,117 residents in 15,048 homes (2020 Census), the 8th most populous of D.C.'s 39 residential clusters.

What do homes cost in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

Typical home values run from about $371K in some parts to $874K in others, and typical rents from $1,268 to $3,455 a month (Census Bureau, 2020–2024). Values vary block by block in D.C.; Fred can pull recent sales for the exact streets you're considering.

Do more people rent or own in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

24% of households own their home and 76% rent (ACS 2020–2024), compared with 42% owners across the District. Fred can run the rent-versus-buy numbers for a specific Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter home.

What's the nearest Metro to Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

The nearest Metro station is Gallery Pl-Chinatown (Red/Green/Yellow Lines), under half a mile away. The average one-way commute from here is 24 minutes.

Which schools serve Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

D.C. Public Schools assigns each address an in-boundary school; you can also apply to other DCPS and public charter schools through the citywide lottery. See D.C. Public Schools and My School DC.

Are there first-time buyer programs for Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

Yes: Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP) — D.C.'s down-payment and closing-cost help for qualifying buyers. Eligibility and limits change, so confirm with a participating lender — Fred can introduce one.

Can Fred help me buy or sell in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

Yes. Fred Mohseni is a Realtor® licensed in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. with The ONE Street Company at Samson Properties. Call (202) 704-5931 or send a note.

How Fred helps

Your Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter real estate agent.

Whether you're buying, selling, investing or relocating in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter, you work directly with Fred — a Realtor® licensed in Maryland, Virginia and D.C., with an accountant's eye for the numbers.

Buying

Tours, offers and negotiation in Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter, with a patient, jargon-free guide from pre-approval to closing day.

Selling

Pricing from recent Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter sales, then preparation and marketing for the strongest possible offer.

Investing

Rent-versus-own math, cash-flow analysis and neighborhood selection from an accounting and finance background.

Relocating

New to the area? Fred compares Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter with nearby towns and runs remote tours before you arrive.

Nearby

Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter and its neighbors.

The closest places on this site, across county and state lines. Shaw & Logan Circle is about a mile away, Dupont Circle is about 1.3 miles away, Foggy Bottom & West End is about 1.5 miles away.

Community	Population	Median home value	Median rent	Own their home	Typical home	Avg. commute
Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter	22,117	$371K–$874K	$1,268–$3,455	24%	Condos & apartments	24 min
Shaw & Logan Circle	21,090	$520K–$1.06M	$1,856–$3,063	35%	Condos & apartments	28 min
Dupont Circle	21,407	$388K–$694K	$1,934–$2,455	35%	Condos & apartments	27 min
Foggy Bottom & West End	18,796	$255K–$893K	$2,004–$3,409	29%	Condos & apartments	19 min
Stanton Park & Kingman Park	35,945	$636K–$1.15M	$1,526–$3,500+	40%	Condos & apartments	28 min
Adams Morgan & Kalorama	20,271	$461K–$1.54M	$2,173–$2,531	37%	Condos & apartments	29 min
Bloomingdale & Eckington	27,110	$441K–$1.04M	$1,480–$3,500+	44%	Condos & apartments	31 min

ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates. * = wide margin of error. “Typical home” is the most common kind of building. On smaller screens some columns are hidden; open on a laptop for population, home type and commute.

Next step

Thinking about Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter?

Ask Fred for a current Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter market report — recent sales, what's listed and what it means for your budget. Or call (202) 704-5931.

Request the Downtown, Chinatown & Penn Quarter market report Compare D.C. neighborhoods

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates; D.C. Office of Planning neighborhood clusters and regional rail stations (D.C. GIS). Home values are owners' own estimates averaged over 2020–2024, so they trail today's prices. This product uses Census Bureau data but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau. Data updated November 2026.