Safety index · Ward 3, Washington, D.C. · data through November 2026
Is Palisades safe?
Palisades sits at the safer end of Washington, D.C. by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 93 out of 100 — 37 points above the citywide median of 56, ranking 5th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 34 incidents reported to the DC Metropolitan Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to November 2026.
DATA THROUGH NOVEMBER 2026 · 9 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Washington, D.C. — a typical Washington, D.C. neighborhood sits near 56. It ranks Palisades against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — vehicle crime alone is 68% 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 12% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Vehicle crime | 23 · 68% | |
| Other theft | 6 · 18% | |
| Violent crime | 2 · 6% | |
| Burglary | 2 · 6% | |
| Robbery | 1 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Is Washington, D.C. safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →
Walking in Palisades at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Spring Valley92/100 · Low risk
- Wesley Heights87/100 · Low risk
- Foxhall Crescents91/100 · Low risk
- Cathedral Heights73/100 · Moderate
- American University Park75/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is Palisades safe at night?
Low risk overall (safety index 93/100). About 34% of severity-weighted incidents in Palisades are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Reported crime is low for Washington, D.C., but stick to lit, busier streets late.
What is the most common crime in Palisades?
Vehicle crime — 23 of 34 incidents (68%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 9 months to November 2026.
How is the Palisades 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.