Safety index · Ward 4, Washington, D.C. · data through July 2026
Is Petworth safe?
Petworth records more reported crime than most Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 37 out of 100 — 16 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 108th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 402 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 | 240 · 60% | |
| Vehicle crime | 98 · 24% | |
| Robbery | 30 · 7% | |
| Violent crime | 19 · 5% | |
| Burglary | 13 · 3% | |
| 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 View33/100 · Elevated
- 16th Street Heights56/100 · Moderate
- Brightwood Park42/100 · Elevated
- Crestwood61/100 · Moderate
- Pleasant Plains24/100 · High risk
Common questions
Is Petworth safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 37/100). 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 — 240 of 402 incidents (60%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 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.