Safety index · Downtown, Seattle · data through August 2026
Is Pioneer Square safe?
Pioneer Square records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 13 out of 100 — 41 points below the citywide median of 54, ranking 87th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 2,362 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 Pioneer Square against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
The largest reported category here is violent crime (16% of reports) — worth taking seriously when walking at night; the full mix is broken down below.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 28% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 26% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Violent crime | 381 · 16% | |
| Vehicle crime | 516 · 22% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 265 · 11% | |
| Other theft | 395 · 17% | |
| Burglary | 206 · 9% | |
| Other | 212 · 9% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Pioneer Square 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
- International District11/100 · High risk
- Yesler Terrace9/100 · High risk
- Central Business District8/100 · High risk
- First Hill9/100 · High risk
- Pike-Market10/100 · High risk
Common questions
Is Pioneer Square safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 13/100). About 54% of severity-weighted incidents in Pioneer Square 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 Pioneer Square?
Violent crime — 381 of 2,362 incidents (16%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
How is the Pioneer Square 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.