Safety index · Downtown, Seattle · data through July 2026
Is Central Business District safe?
Central Business District records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 9 out of 100 — 48 points below the citywide median of 57, ranking 93rd of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 3,534 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
The largest reported category here is violent crime (13% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 27% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 24% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 452 · 13% | |
| Vehicle crime | 839 · 24% | |
| Burglary | 399 · 11% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 350 · 10% | |
| Other theft | 601 · 17% | |
| Drugs | 230 · 7% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Central Business District 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
- Pike-Market12/100 · High risk
- First Hill10/100 · High risk
- Denny Triangle9/100 · High risk
- Pioneer Square15/100 · High risk
- Yesler Terrace10/100 · High risk
Common questions
Is Central Business District safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 9/100). About 51% of severity-weighted incidents in Central Business District 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 Central Business District?
Violent crime — 452 of 3,534 incidents (13%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Central Business District safety index calculated?
SafeRoute weights each incident reported to the Seattle 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.