A row of porched brick rowhouses with dormer windows on Quincy Street NW, Washington, D.C.

DC market data

What DC homes cost per square foot

Median price per square foot for every DC neighborhood, split by condition: renovated, standard, and needs some TLC.

Across Washington DC, a house the assessor rates as recently renovated sold for a median of $813 per square foot over the last 3 years, while one the assessor rates Average or below sold for $489. Neighborhood medians range from $326 to $1,097 per square foot.

Neighborhoods with the largest renovation premium

The six DC neighborhoods with the largest renovation premium per square foot.

Mayfair & Hillbrook
+83%
$229 more per square foot for a renovated house
Deanwood & Lincoln Heights
+79%
$224 more per square foot for a renovated house
Deanwood & Lincoln Heights guide
Marshall Heights & Capitol View
+77%
$232 more per square foot for a renovated house
Marshall Heights & Capitol View guide
Douglass & Shipley Terrace
+77%
$222 more per square foot for a renovated house
Congress Heights & Washington Highlands
+77%
$173 more per square foot for a renovated house
Congress Heights & Washington Highlands guide
Shaw & Logan Circle
+72%
$394 more per square foot for a renovated house
Shaw & Logan Circle guide
Renovation premium by DC neighborhood →

Price per square foot questions

What is the average price per square foot in Washington DC?
Across DC, the median house sold for $617 per square foot over the last 3 years, and the median condominium for $612. Neighborhood medians range from about $326 to over $1,097 per square foot.
How much more does a renovated DC house cost?
Citywide, houses the assessor rates as recently renovated sold for a median of $813 per square foot, against $489 for houses that need some TLC (the assessor rates them Average, Fair or Poor). Renovated houses sold for about 66% more per square foot. This renovation premium varies by neighborhood, and the tool shows it for each one.
Where does this data come from?
DC's Office of the Chief Financial Officer publishes its property assessment and sales records through Open Data DC. This tool uses residential sales the assessor treated as valid comparables, joined to the assessor's record of each property's square footage, condition rating and most recent recorded remodel. It is not listing data and does not come from an MLS.
Is price per square foot a good way to value a DC home?
Price per square foot is useful for comparing neighborhoods, but it is not a valuation. Square footage in the assessment record is gross building area, which treats a finished basement differently from an appraiser. Lot size, condition, parking, historic-district status and exact block each affect price. Use these figures to orient yourself between neighborhoods, then rely on an appraisal for any specific property.
How do I set a budget for a house that needs some TLC?
Start with the renovation premium in that neighborhood, which is the price difference between renovated and needs-some-TLC houses. The renovation, permits, carrying costs and contingency have to fit within that price difference. Then get a contractor's bid, check whether the house is in a historic district, and ask us about an FHA 203(k) or Fannie Mae HomeStyle loan, which finance the purchase and the renovation together.

Ask a question

A licensed DC loan officer will answer your question by email within one business day.

Please don't include your Social Security number or account numbers.

General information only. This is not a commitment to lend, a pre-qualification, or an offer of credit. By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy Policy. We respect your privacy and will not share your information with unaffiliated third parties without your consent.

Financing a specific house

Send us the listing and we will go through the loan options, including renovation financing if the house needs some TLC.

Get pre-qualifiedEstimate what you can afford

How this was built

Figures come from the District of Columbia’s property assessment and sales records, published through Open Data DC by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Data current through 2026-08-12; this page was generated on 2026-08-21.

Only sales DC flags as qualified are counted, meaning the assessor used them as comparables when setting values. That excludes nominal transfers and deed corrections. It also excludes open-market sales the assessor chose not to use for nearby assessments, for example because the property needed repairs. All figures are medians, never averages, so a single extraordinary sale cannot move a neighborhood’s number. Medians cover the last 3 years; where a segment had too few sales in that window, 5 years are used and the panel says so. Nothing is published from fewer than 8 sales.

Condition segments. A house counts as renovated when DC has a remodel recorded within the last 10 years and the assessor rates the structure Excellent or Very Good. Both are required because condition alone would label roughly two-thirds of the city renovated. “Average or below” is the assessor’s own scale — Good is its most common rating, so an Average house already sits below the middle of the market. Condominium records carry no condition rating at all, so the condo view is segmented by bedroom count instead.

Square footage is the assessor’s gross building area, which may treat finished basements and additions differently from an appraiser. Neighborhoods are DC’s official neighborhood clusters, labeled here with common neighborhood names.

These are recorded sales and assessment records. They are not appraisals, not listings, and not an estimate of the value of any particular property. Source: DC Office of the Chief Financial Officer, via Open Data DC (CC BY 4.0).