Safety index · Ward 1, Washington, D.C. · data through July 2026
Is Columbia Heights safe?
Columbia Heights records a high level of reported crime for Washington, D.C.. Its SafeRoute safety index is 20 out of 100 — 33 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 130th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 913 incidents reported to the DC Metropolitan Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 60% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 14% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 549 · 60% | |
| Vehicle crime | 221 · 24% | |
| Violent crime | 63 · 7% | |
| Robbery | 59 · 6% | |
| Burglary | 17 · 2% | |
| Sexual offences | 4 · 0% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Columbia Heights 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.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Pleasant Plains24/100 · High risk
- Mount Pleasant26/100 · Elevated
- Park View33/100 · Elevated
- Lanier Heights22/100 · High risk
- Howard University28/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Columbia Heights safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 20/100). About 42% of severity-weighted incidents in Columbia Heights 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 Columbia Heights?
Other theft — 549 of 913 incidents (60%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Columbia Heights safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the DC Metropolitan 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.