Safety index · Cascade, Seattle · data through August 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 — 36 points below the citywide median of 54, ranking 85th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 1,800 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 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 — burglary alone is 18% 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
What's reported here
| Burglary | 328 · 18% | |
| Vehicle crime | 498 · 28% | |
| Violent crime | 149 · 8% | |
| Other theft | 359 · 20% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 155 · 9% | |
| Other | 90 · 5% |
When it happens
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.
Get SafeRoute on the App StoreNearby areas
- Denny Triangle8/100 · High risk
- Westlake41/100 · Elevated
- Broadway15/100 · High risk
- Belltown11/100 · High risk
- Lower Queen Anne19/100 · High risk
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?
Burglary — 328 of 1,800 incidents (18%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 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.