Safety index · Central, Philadelphia · data through August 2026
Is Chinatown safe?
Chinatown records a high level of reported crime for Philadelphia. Its SafeRoute safety index is 29 out of 100 — 26 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 147th of 151 Philadelphia neighborhoods — based on 3,371 incidents reported to the Philadelphia Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through August 2026).
The largest reported category here is violent crime (22% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Reported incidents here skew to daytime and evening hours — only about 11% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 756 · 22% | |
| Other theft | 1,462 · 43% | |
| Other | 453 · 13% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 190 · 6% | |
| Vehicle crime | 215 · 6% | |
| Robbery | 93 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Chinatown 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
- Center City East26/100 · Elevated
- Callowhill40/100 · Elevated
- Old City45/100 · Elevated
- Washington Square West26/100 · Elevated
- West Poplar43/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Chinatown safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 29/100). About 38% of severity-weighted incidents in Chinatown 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 Chinatown?
Violent crime — 756 of 3,371 incidents (22%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through August 2026.
How is the Chinatown safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the Philadelphia Police Department 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.