Safety index · Rainier Valley, Seattle · data through July 2026
Is Columbia City safe?
Columbia City records more reported crime than most Seattle neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 47 out of 100 — 10 points below the citywide median of 57, ranking 59th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 431 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
Most of what's reported here is property-related — criminal damage & arson alone is 13% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 34% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 21% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Criminal damage & arson | 57 · 13% | |
| Vehicle crime | 94 · 22% | |
| Violent crime | 34 · 8% | |
| Burglary | 47 · 11% | |
| Other theft | 82 · 19% | |
| Robbery | 12 · 3% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Columbia 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
- Mid-Beacon Hill78/100 · Low risk
- Seward Park82/100 · Low risk
- Mount Baker42/100 · Elevated
- Holly Park50/100 · Moderate
- Brighton48/100 · Elevated
Common questions
Is Columbia City safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 47/100). About 55% of severity-weighted incidents in Columbia 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 Columbia City?
Criminal damage & arson — 57 of 431 incidents (13%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Columbia City 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.