Is it okay to walk in Downtown, Washington DC?

Crime reported to the police, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026

Low for Washington DC

Reported crime around the center of Downtown is lower than in 54% of areas in Washington DC, taking into account how many people are usually around. 548 incidents were reported here in these 12 months.

“Here” is the area of about 0.7 km² (0.3 square miles) around the center of Downtown.

See Downtown on the map

The map shows every block, by day and at night, and gives walking directions that avoid high-crime areas.

By kind of crime

Kind	Level	Compared with the rest of Washington DC
ViolentHomicide, sexual assault, robbery, assault, kidnapping	Low	lower than in 55% of areas
PropertyBurglary, theft, shoplifting, vandalism, arson	Moderate	higher than in 73% of areas
VehicleCar theft and break-ins	Very low	lower than in 77% of areas

Day and night

By day (6am–6pm): Very low, lower than in 77% of areas.
At night (6pm–6am): Moderate, higher than in 66% of areas.

Most reports here are from 4pm–5pm.

What gets reported here

Theft: 449 (82%)
Theft from vehicle: 49 (9%)
Vehicle theft: 18 (3%)
Robbery: 17 (3%)
Aggravated assault: 13 (2%)

Rising: the last 6 months were 42% busier than the city-wide trend.

Around Downtown

The areas right next to it range from very low to low.

How to read this

It shows crime reported to the police. Many crimes are never reported.
Levels compare areas within Washington DC. The same level in another city does not mean the same.
It is not a prediction, and it says nothing about any person or building.
Please do not use it for decisions about housing, lending, insurance or employment.