SAFEROUTE

Safety index · Cascade, Seattle · data through November 2026

Is South Lake Union safe?

South Lake Union records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 18 out of 100 — 35 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 85th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 2,255 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.

18/100
High risk
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of South Lake Union — higher is safer. 85th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods.

DATA THROUGH NOVEMBER 2026 · 10 MONTHS OF DATA

The 0–100 scale is calibrated to Seattle — a typical Seattle neighborhood sits near 53. It ranks South Lake Union against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.

Most of what's reported here is property-related — vehicle crime alone is 27% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 29% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 26% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

Aurora Avenue NorthMercer Street neighborhood center 500 m N ↑
1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe · rings every 250 m from the neighborhood center2,255 incidents reported within 1 km of the South Lake Union center (500 shown) · SPD data through November 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the south of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.
Open South Lake Union on the live interactive map →

What's reported here

Vehicle crime
611 · 27%
Other theft
472 · 21%
Burglary
420 · 19%
Criminal damage & arson
198 · 9%
Violent crime
176 · 8%
Shoplifting
126 · 6%

When it happens

6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aMON–FRI6a–6p6p–12a12a–6aSAT–SUN

Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.

Is Seattle safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →

Walking in South Lake Union 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 Store

Nearby areas

Common questions

Is South Lake Union safe at night?

High risk overall (safety index 18/100). About 55% of severity-weighted incidents in South Lake Union 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 South Lake Union?

Vehicle crime — 611 of 2,255 incidents (27%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.

How is the South Lake Union 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.