Safety index · University District, Seattle · data through November 2026
Is University District, Seattle safe?
University District records a high level of reported crime for Seattle. Its SafeRoute safety index is 21 out of 100 — 32 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 82nd of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 1,872 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.
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 University District 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 31% 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
| Vehicle crime | 575 · 31% | |
| Other theft | 410 · 22% | |
| Burglary | 269 · 14% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 224 · 12% | |
| Violent crime | 160 · 9% | |
| Other | 80 · 4% |
When it happens
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 University District 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 StoreNearby areas
- University Heights22/100 · High risk
- University of Washington42/100 · Elevated
- Wallingford42/100 · Elevated
- Portage Bay53/100 · Moderate
- Ravenna60/100 · Moderate
Common questions
Is University District safe at night?
High risk overall (safety index 21/100). About 55% of severity-weighted incidents in University District 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 University District?
Vehicle crime — 575 of 1,872 incidents (31%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.
How is the University District 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.