Safety index · Central, Philadelphia · data through August 2026
Is Old City safe?
Old City records more reported crime than most Philadelphia neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 45 out of 100 — 10 points below the citywide median of 55, ranking 114th of 151 Philadelphia neighborhoods — based on 1,783 incidents reported to the Philadelphia Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through August 2026).
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 53% 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 12% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 942 · 53% | |
| Violent crime | 333 · 19% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 100 · 6% | |
| Vehicle crime | 165 · 9% | |
| Robbery | 47 · 3% | |
| Other | 129 · 7% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Old City 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
- Chinatown29/100 · Elevated
- Society Hill50/100 · Moderate
- Callowhill40/100 · Elevated
- Center City East26/100 · Elevated
- Washington Square West26/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Old City safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 45/100). About 37% of severity-weighted incidents in Old City 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 Old City?
Other theft — 942 of 1,783 incidents (53%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through August 2026.
How is the Old City 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.