Safety index · Ward 6, Washington, D.C. · data through July 2026
Is Downtown East safe?
Downtown East records more reported crime than most Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 42 out of 100 — 11 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 95th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 324 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 62% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 28% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 17% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 201 · 62% | |
| Vehicle crime | 73 · 23% | |
| Robbery | 25 · 8% | |
| Violent crime | 19 · 6% | |
| Burglary | 5 · 2% | |
| Sexual offences | 1 · 0% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Downtown East 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
- Chinatown26/100 · Elevated
- Penn Quarter30/100 · Elevated
- Mount Vernon Triangle26/100 · Elevated
- North Capitol Street26/100 · Elevated
- Mount Vernon Square22/100 · High risk
Common questions
Is Downtown East safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 42/100). About 45% of severity-weighted incidents in Downtown East 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 Downtown East?
Other theft — 201 of 324 incidents (62%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Downtown East 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.