Safety index · University District, Seattle · data through August 2026
Is University of Washington safe?
University of Washington records more reported crime than most Seattle neighborhoods. Its SafeRoute safety index is 42 out of 100 — 12 points below the citywide median of 54, ranking 64th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 648 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 University of Washington against other neighborhoods here, and cannot be read against a score in another city.
Most of what's reported here is property-related — other theft alone is 21% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.
Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 32% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 18% overnight.
Where incidents cluster
What's reported here
| Other theft | 138 · 21% | |
| Vehicle crime | 133 · 21% | |
| Violent crime | 44 · 7% | |
| Burglary | 54 · 8% | |
| Criminal damage & arson | 52 · 8% | |
| Shoplifting | 177 · 27% |
When it happens
Severity-weighted share of reported incidents by time of day, from police incident timestamps.
Walking in University of Washington 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
- University District21/100 · High risk
- Portage Bay54/100 · Moderate
- University Heights22/100 · High risk
- Montlake74/100 · Moderate
- Laurelhurst78/100 · Low risk
Common questions
Is University of Washington safe at night?
Elevated overall (safety index 42/100). About 50% of severity-weighted incidents in University of Washington 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 of Washington?
Other theft — 138 of 648 incidents (21%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 8 months to August 2026.
How is the University of Washington 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.