Safety index · Cleveland · data through September 2026
Is Central safe?
Central records more reported crime than most Cleveland neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 45 out of 100 — 5 points below the citywide median of 50, ranking 22nd of 34 Cleveland neighborhoods — based on 854 incidents reported to the Cleveland Division of Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
DATA THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2026 · 8 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Cleveland — a typical Cleveland neighborhood sits near 50. It ranks Central against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (33% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 33% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 25% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 280 · 33% | |
| Other | 194 · 23% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 76 · 9% | |
| Weapons possession | 48 · 6% | |
| Public order | 49 · 6% | |
| Vehicle crime | 64 · 7% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Central at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same live crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Pick the safer way, share your walk, and check in when you arrive. Free, no account.
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Common questions
Is Central safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 45/100). About 58% of severity-weighted incidents in Central are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. At night, prefer lit, busier streets — a block or two of detour often avoids the clusters on the map above.
What is the most common crime in Central?
Violent crime — 280 of 854 incidents (33%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the Central safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the Cleveland Division of Police by severity (violence weighs more than shoplifting), sums the last available period within 1 km of the neighborhood center, and normalizes against citywide crime rates onto a 0–100 scale — higher is safer. It describes reported crime only; it is not a guarantee of safety. The scale is calibrated within Cleveland, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.