SAFEROUTE

Safety index · University District, Seattle · data through November 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 — 11 points below the citywide median of 53, ranking 64th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods — based on 790 incidents reported to the SPD within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 2026.

42/100
Elevated
SafeRoute safety index for the area within 1 km of the center of University of Washington — higher is safer. 64th of 94 Seattle neighborhoods.

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 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 — shoplifting alone is 24% of reports — rather than violence against strangers, though the full mix below is worth a look.

Incidents spread across the day here — roughly 31% of severity-weighted reports come in the evening (6 p.m.–midnight) and 19% overnight.

Where incidents cluster

Northeast 45th StreetShip Canal Bridge neighborhood center 500 m N ↑
1 dot = 1 report · darker = more severe · rings every 250 m from the neighborhood center790 incidents reported within 1 km of the University of Washington center (500 shown) · SPD data through November 2026 · basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors. Reports cluster toward the north of the map — the area immediately around the neighborhood center is comparatively quiet.
Open University of Washington on the live interactive map →

What's reported here

Shoplifting
193 · 24%
Other theft
175 · 22%
Vehicle crime
168 · 21%
Burglary
67 · 8%
Criminal damage & arson
66 · 8%
Violent crime
59 · 7%

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.

Is Seattle safe at night? See which neighborhoods see the most reported crime after dark →

Walking in University of Washington 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 Store

Nearby areas

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?

Shoplifting — 193 of 790 incidents (24%) reported within 1 km of the neighborhood center over the 10 months to November 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.