Safety index · Downtown, Seattle · data through August 2026
Is First Hill safe?
First Hill records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 9 out of 100 — 45 points below the citywide median of 54, ranking 91st of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 3,852 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
DATA THROUGH AUGUST 2026 · 8 MONTHS OF DATA
The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Seattle — a typical Seattle neighborhood sits near 54. It ranks First Hill against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (12% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 29% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 28% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 474 · 12% | |
| Vehicle crime | 874 · 23% | |
| Burglary | 491 · 13% | |
| Other theft | 747 · 19% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 402 · 10% | |
| Drugs | 177 · 5% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in First Hill 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
- Yesler Terrace9/100 · High risk
- Central Business District8/100 · High risk
- Minor21/100 · High risk
- Denny Triangle8/100 · High risk
- International District11/100 · High risk
Common questions
Is First Hill safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 9/100). About 57% of severity-weighted incidents in First Hill 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 First Hill?
Violent crime — 474 of 3,852 incidents (12%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
How is the First Hill 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. The scale is calibrated within Seattle, so scores compare neighborhoods to each other and cannot be read against another city's.