Congress Heights, Washington, DC Property Crime Rates and Maps

Congress Heights is a neighborhood of 13,600 residents in Washington, about 4 miles southeast of downtown · Updated November 2026

How common is property crime in Congress Heights?

Congress Heights grades F for property crime, with more of it than the neighborhoods where 95% of Americans live. Theft makes up 22% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B+, and vehicle theft grades F. Washington as a whole grades F for property crime.

F
Property crime CrimeGrade™Safety score 0 of 1,000
More property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

5% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Congress Heights as a whole, and 95% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Congress Heights scores 0.

Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.

F
Overall crimeSafety score 0 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoods
F
Violent crimeSafety score 0 of 1,000More violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Property crime map of Congress Heights

Map of Congress Heights shaded by property crime CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Congress Heights, Washington, DC at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Congress Heights in Washington, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.

Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports


What stands out about property crime in Congress Heights

Car thefts run high. Congress Heights has car thefts at about triple the US rate: 7.6 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.


How Congress Heights compares within Washington

Every part of Congress Heights grades D or F for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Congress Heights run from D to F.

D or F 100%

Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Congress Heights has less property crime than 15 of the 38 neighborhoods in Washington. It covers much of the Capitol Hill, South West, and Congress Heights areas and the Anacostia area.


Property crime rates and types in Congress Heights

CrimeGrade™ estimates Congress Heights has about 50 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about double the rate for the US as a whole and close to Washington as a whole.

All property crime

Burglary

Vehicle theft

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.

Vandalism is the most common property crime in Congress Heights, about 57% of the total, followed by theft and vehicle theft.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
BurglaryB+362.62.4
TheftD-15111.013.1
Vehicle theftF1047.62.7
ArsonA+under 10.040.12
VandalismF38628.35.5

Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.

Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.


Property crime in Congress Heights and nearby neighborhoods

Of the 10 neighborhoods closest to Congress Heights, 7 have less property crime. Crystal City and Aurora Highlands have the least.

Nearby neighborhoods

PlacePropertyOverallResidents
Congress HeightsF0F13,600
Anacostia 2 milesF0F101,500
Fairlawn 2 milesF0F5,540
South West 3 milesC396C16,400
Potomac Yard-Potomac Greens 3 milesC+496B+5,890
Show all 10
PlacePropertyOverallResidents
Oxon Hill-Glassmanor 3 milesF71F21,800
Crystal City 3 milesA-774A6,970
Hill East 3 milesF0F7,480
Lincoln Park 3 milesF0F7,830
Aurora Highlands 3 milesB+709A-14,000
Capitol Hill 4 milesF0F45,100

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Congress Heights. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, Congress Heights has more property crime than 85% of them.

Neighborhoods of similar size and density

PlacePropertyOverallResidents
Congress HeightsF0F13,600
Estates of Highland Creek, Katy, TXB-583B13,700
Carrick, Pittsburgh, PAB-577B-13,700
Hybla Valley, Alexandria, VAB-576B13,700
Archer Heights, Chicago, ILC448B-13,600
Show all 10
PlacePropertyOverallResidents
Washington Manor-Bonaire, San Leandro, CAC-376B13,600
Douglas, Chicago, ILF0F13,600
Mount Bowdoin, Boston, MAF0F13,700
South Park, Los Angeles, CAF0D-13,600
East San Diego, San Diego, CAF0D13,600
Central City, New Orleans, LAF0F13,700

Shops, transit and walkability in Congress Heights

Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Congress Heights apart: it has 1.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 71 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places with few stores and restaurants tend to report less theft and car theft, yet theft and car theft run higher here than that would suggest.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft and car theft.1.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 96% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Congress Heights: D- (8 of 100).71 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft.C (39 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 56% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.9 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 91% of residents of US city neighborhoods

These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.


What property crime costs Congress Heights

Property crime costs Congress Heights about $5.4 million a year, or $399 per resident and about $1,083 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.

Cost of property crime per resident, per year


How CrimeGrade™ works

The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.

It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.

The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Congress Heights is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.

Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.

Where the numbers come from

  • Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
  • State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • Published research on what crime costs victims and communities

These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.

More about CrimeGrade™ data