Safety index · Ward 8, Washington, D.C. · data through August 2026
Is Congress Heights safe?
Congress Heights shows a typical level of reported crime for Washington, D.C.. Its SafeRoute safety index is 54 out of 100 — 4 points below the citywide median of 58, ranking 73rd of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 223 incidents reported to the DC Metropolitan Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 8 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Washington, D.C. — a typical Washington, D.C. neighborhood sits near 58. It ranks Congress Heights against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (17% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 30% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 23% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 38 · 17% | |
| Vehicle crime | 72 · 32% | |
| Other theft | 69 · 31% | |
| Robbery | 25 · 11% | |
| Burglary | 16 · 7% | |
| Sexual offences | 3 · 1% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Congress 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
- Washington Highlands52/100 · Moderate
- Douglass50/100 · Moderate
- Bellevue55/100 · Moderate
- Barry Farm66/100 · Moderate
- Hillsdale54/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is Congress Heights safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 54/100). About 53% of severity-weighted incidents in Congress 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 Congress Heights?
Violent crime — 38 of 223 incidents (17%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
How is the Congress 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. The scale is calibrated within Washington, D.C., so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.