Safety index · Ward 5, Washington, D.C. · data through July 2026
Is South Central safe?
South Central shows a typical level of reported crime for Washington, D.C.. Its SafeRoute safety index is 65 out of 100 — 12 points above the citywide median of 53, ranking 38th of 132 D.C. neighborhoods — based on 122 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 — vehicle crime alone is 60% 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 25% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Vehicle crime | 73 · 60% | |
| Other theft | 24 · 20% | |
| Violent crime | 9 · 7% | |
| Burglary | 10 · 8% | |
| Sexual offences | 3 · 2% | |
| Robbery | 3 · 2% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in South Central 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
- Gateway65/100 · Moderate
- Langdon58/100 · Moderate
- Fort Lincoln72/100 · Moderate
- Woodridge74/100 · Moderate
- Arboretum65/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is South Central safe at night?
Moderate overall (safety index 65/100). About 58% of severity-weighted incidents in South Central 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 South Central?
Vehicle crime — 73 of 122 incidents (60%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the South Central 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.