Safety index · Ballard, Seattle · data through July 2026
Is Sunset Hill safe?
Sunset Hill sits at the safer end of Seattle by reported crime. Its SafeRoute safety index is 76 out of 100 — 19 points above the citywide median of 57, ranking 21st of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 119 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center (data through July 2026).
Most of what's reported here is property-related — vehicle crime alone is 39% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Timing matters here: about 34% of severity-weighted incidents are reported overnight (midnight–6 a.m.), so route choice late at night matters more than the headline number suggests.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Vehicle crime | 46 · 39% | |
| Burglary | 17 · 14% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 14 · 12% | |
| Other theft | 24 · 20% | |
| Violent crime | 6 · 5% | |
| Public order | 5 · 4% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in Sunset 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
- Loyal Heights62/100 · Moderate
- Ballard32/100 · Elevated
- Whittier Heights51/100 · Moderate
- North Beach/Blue Ridge83/100 · Low risk
- Lawton Park80/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is Sunset Hill safe at night?
Low risk overall (safety index 76/100). About 76% of severity-weighted incidents in Sunset Hill are reported between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Reported crime is low for Seattle, but stick to lit, busier streets late.
What is the most common crime in Sunset Hill?
Vehicle crime — 46 of 119 incidents (39%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center through July 2026.
How is the Sunset 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.