SAFEROUTE

Safety index · Los Angeles · data through August 2026

Is Downtown Los Angeles safe?

Downtown Los Angeles records a high level of reported crime for Los Angeles. Its SafeRoute safety index is 12 out of 100 — 39 points below the citywide median of 51, ranking 98th of 99 LA neighborhoods — based on 11,184 incidents reported to the LAPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through August 2026).

12/100
High risk
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of Downtown Los Angeles — higher is safer. 98th of 99 LA neighborhoods.

DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026

The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Los Angeles — a typical Los Angeles neighborhood sits near 51. It ranks Downtown Los Angeles against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.

The largest reported category here is violent crime (33% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 26% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 21% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

South Main StreetSouth San Pedro Street neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
11,184 incidents reported within 1 km of the Downtown Los Angeles center (500 shown) · LAPD data through August 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the north of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.
Open Downtown Los Angeles on the live interactive map →

What's reported here

Violent crime
3,713 · 33%
Burglary
1,168 · 10%
Criminal damage & arson
950 · 8%
Robbery
680 · 6%
Other theft
1,427 · 13%
Sexual offences
556 · 5%

When it happens

6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aMON–FRI6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aSAT–SUN

Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.

Walking in Downtown Los Angeles 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 Store

Nearby areas

Common questions

Is Downtown Los Angeles safe at night?

High risk overall (safety index 12/100). About 48% of severity-weighted incidents in Downtown Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles?

Violent crime — 3,713 of 11,184 incidents (33%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through August 2026.

How is the Downtown Los Angeles safety index calculated?

SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the LAPD 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 Los Angeles, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.