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How walkable is Washington, D.C.?
By Oscar Higson-Spence. Updated
Washington, D.C. has a walkability score of 79 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. It is the joint 8th most walkable of the 58 cities ranked in the United States, with 1 other.
What's within walking distance of the center
4,027 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Washington, D.C.. The nearest grocery is about 5 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for groceries, restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
Groceries
- Whole Foods Market, 5 min
- Commissary, 5 min
Restaurants & bars
- 1400 North, 2 min
- Dovetail Bar & Restaurant, 2 min
Shopping
- Silver Cycles DC, 3 min
- Buffalo Exchange, 3 min
Coffee
- BPM Coffee & Wine, 3 min
- Peet's Coffee & Tea, 3 min
Banks
- Chase Bank, 5 min
- PNC Bank, 5 min
Parks
- Scott Circle, 3 min
- Logan Circle, 7 min
Schools
- Thomson Elementary School, 10 min
- Ross Elementary School, 13 min
Books & libraries
- The Kabbalah Centre Washington DC Study Group, 5 min
- White & Case, 5 min
Culture & entertainment
- 1812 Museum - Nat Soc Us Daughters 1812, 3 min
- Lady Bird, the Rooftop, 5 min
Measured from the center at 38.9068, -77.0335, the point near Washington, D.C.'s middle with the most places in walking range. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the center there are about 139 street intersections per km², and blocks average 81 m long. That is a well-connected street grid, so the score is not reduced.
How far walkability reaches
Washington, D.C.'s score of 79 is the average across the 5 km around its center, the point with the most everyday places within a walk. Walkability averages 98 within 1 km of the center, 90 from 1 to 3 km out and 71 from 3 to 5 km out. 11 of the 91 points within 5 km fall on water or on land without streets, such as hillsides, forest or farmland, and are left out, so the score describes only the built-up part. 75% of the sampled area scores 70 or more, where most errands can be done on foot. Walkability falls off steeply away from the center, so check a specific address on the map.
- 90+
- 70–89
- 50–69
- 25–49
- 0–24
Each hexagon is the score at a point, 1 km from its neighbours, across the 5 km around central Washington, D.C.. Rings mark 1, 3 and 5 km from the center. Gaps are water or land without streets.
| Area | Score | Scoring 70+ |
|---|---|---|
| Center | 99 | 100% |
| Within 1 km | 98 | 100% |
| 1 to 3 km out | 90 | 96% |
| 3 to 5 km out | 71 | 60% |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, United States | 57 km | 77 |
| Philadelphia, United States | 199 km | 89 |
| Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States | 246 km | 37 |
| Pittsburgh, United States | 306 km | 61 |
| New York City, United States | 329 km | 93 |
Questions about walking in Washington, D.C.
Is Washington, D.C. a walkable city?
Around its center, yes. Washington, D.C. has a walkability score of 79 out of 100 across the 5 km around its center, which makes it very walkable: most errands can be done on foot. Its center scores 99. The score covers about 80 km² around the busiest point rather than the whole city, and suburbs further out are usually less walkable, so check a specific address on the map. It ranks joint 8th of 58 cities in the United States and joint 141st of 690 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in the United States?
New York City is the most walkable of the 58 cities ranked in the United States, with a score of 93. Washington, D.C. ranks joint 8th with 79.
How does Washington, D.C. compare with nearby cities?
Washington, D.C. sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: it scores 79, against Baltimore (77, 57 km away), Philadelphia (89, 199 km away) and Virginia Beach, Virginia (37, 246 km away).
Which part of Washington, D.C. is most walkable?
Washington's most walkable area is its center, the point near the middle of the city with the most places in walking range, which scores 99. Walkability averages 98 within 1 km of it. Beyond 2.5 km, it holds up best to the south-east (averaging 88) and falls most to the south (52).
Why is Washington, D.C.'s score different from its Walk Score?
Walk Score's city scores average every neighborhood within the city limits, weighted by where people live, so they count outer suburbs that the 5 km around Washington, D.C.'s center leaves out, and they are usually lower. Address by address the two agree closely: across 46 addresses in the United States and Canada, How Walkable's scores were 5.9 points from Walk Score's on average, as the accuracy study at howwalkable.com/accuracy shows.
How is Washington, D.C.'s walkability score calculated?
For Washington, D.C. it is the average of 80 points spaced 1 km apart within 5 km of its busiest point, leaving out water and land without streets; 60 of them score 70 or more. Each point counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and loses up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long, using open map data from Overture Maps (release 2026-09-23.1) and OpenStreetMap. It measures what is within a walk, not what the walk is like: pavements, traffic, safety, hills and heat are not part of the score.
This page is generated from open map data with a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. Places from Overture Maps release 2026-09-23.1. City position and population from GeoNames.
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