SafeRoute

Safety index · Cascade, Seattle · data through July 2026

Is South Lake Union safe?

South Lake Union records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 20 out of 100 — 37 points below the citywide median of 57, ranking 85th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 1,521 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).

20/100
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.

Most of what's reported here is property-related — burglary alone is 19% 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 27% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

Aurora Avenue NorthMercer Street neighborhood center 1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe 500 m N ↑
1,521 incidents reported within 1 km of the South Lake Union center (500 shown) · SPD data through July 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

Burglary
286 · 19%
Vehicle crime
425 · 28%
Violent crime
126 · 8%
Other theft
301 · 20%
Criminal damage & arson
137 · 9%
Other
75 · 5%

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.

Walking in South Lake Union 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.

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Nearby areas

Common questions

Is South Lake Union safe at night?

High risk overall (safety index 20/100). 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?

Burglary — 286 of 1,521 incidents (19%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 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.