Safety index · Ward 4, Washington, D.C. · data through September 2026
Is Petworth safe?
Petworth records more reported crime than most Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 41 out of 100 — 17 points below the citywide median of 58, ranking 109th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 493 incidents reported to the DC Metropolitan 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 Washington, D.C. — a typical Washington, D.C. neighborhood sits near 58. It ranks Petworth against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 55% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 32% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 15% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 269 · 55% | |
| Vehicle crime | 136 · 28% | |
| Robbery | 37 · 8% | |
| Violent crime | 25 · 5% | |
| Burglary | 24 · 5% | |
| Sexual offences | 2 · 0% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Petworth 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
- Park View37/100 · Elevated
- 16th Street Heights58/100 · Moderate
- Brightwood Park46/100 · Elevated
- Crestwood65/100 · Moderate
- Pleasant Plains28/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Petworth safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 41/100). About 47% of severity-weighted incidents in Petworth 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 Petworth?
Other theft — 269 of 493 incidents (55%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to September 2026.
How is the Petworth 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.