Safety index · Central, Philadelphia · data through November 2026
Is Washington Square West safe?
Washington Square West records a high level of reported crime for Philadelphia. Its SafeRoute safety index is 26 out of 100 — 28 points below the citywide median of 54, ranking 149th of 151 Philadelphia neighborhoods — based on 5,883 incidents reported to the Philadelphia Police within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.
DATA THROUGH NOVEMBER 2026 · 10 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Philadelphia — a typical Philadelphia neighborhood sits near 54. It ranks Washington Square West against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 49% 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 10% of severity-weighted reports fall overnight (midnight–6 a.m.).
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 2,906 · 49% | |
| Violent crime | 1,135 · 19% | |
| Other | 630 · 11% | |
| Vehicle crime | 367 · 6% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 292 · 5% | |
| Robbery | 179 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Is Philadelphia safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →
Walking in Washington Square West at night?
SafeRoute scores every walking route against the same official crime data on this page — and shows how much of each route runs on lit streets. Compare the routes and share your walk. Free, no account.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Center City East25/100 · Elevated
- Hawthorne39/100 · Elevated
- Society Hill49/100 · Elevated
- Chinatown29/100 · Elevated
- Bella Vista47/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Washington Square West safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 26/100). About 36% of severity-weighted incidents in Washington Square West 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 Washington Square West?
Other theft — 2,906 of 5,883 incidents (49%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.
How is the Washington Square West 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. The scale is calibrated within Philadelphia, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.