These Are The 10 Worst Seattle Neighborhoods For 2018


We used science and data to determine which Seattle neighborhoods are the real pits.

Sam Sparkes, RoadSnacks
December 9, 2017 - 37,805 views
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This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.
Worst Neighborhoods In Seattle
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Seattle’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Seattle.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Seattle. Some neighborhoods aren’t as great as others.

So the question arises, which Seattle neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?

Today, we’ll use science and data to determine which Seattle hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Seattle area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Laurelhurst ranks way above the rest.

We examined 78 of Seattle’s neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Seattle’s reputation.

Here are the 10 worst neighborhoods in Seattle according to data:

  1. South Park
  2. Georgetown
  3. Sand Point
  4. South Delridge
  5. Riverview
  6. Roxhill
  7. North Delridge
  8. Rainier Beach
  9. Beacon Hill
  10. International District

Read on to see how we determined the places around Seattle that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

Once you’re done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best.

Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Seattle.

For more reading on Washington, check out:

How we determined the worst Seattle hoods

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Seattle:

  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)
  • High crime (Estimated)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Seattle for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a ‘Worst Score’.

The neighborhood with the lowest ‘Worst Score’ ranks as the worst neighborhood of Seattle.

Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Seattle to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 78 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.

1. South Park

Population: 3,981
Median Income: $39,828
Median Home Value: $256,525

2. Georgetown

Population: 1,817
Median Income: $54,832
Median Home Value: $298,667

3. Sand Point

Population: 602
Median Income: $58,750
Median Home Value: $334,700

4. South Delridge

Population: 5,971
Median Income: $51,559
Median Home Value: $266,733

5. Riverview

Population: 3,473
Median Income: $64,283
Median Home Value: $292,100

6. Roxhill

Population: 4,855
Median Income: $59,966
Median Home Value: $300,300

7. North Delridge

Population: 3,945
Median Income: $71,546
Median Home Value: $328,560

8. Rainier Beach

Population: 14,824
Median Income: $58,664
Median Home Value: $315,620

9. Beacon Hill

Population: 35,144
Median Income: $55,009
Median Home Value: $315,965

10. International District

Population: 6,066
Median Income: $29,103
Median Home Value: $233,567

The ‘hoods around Seattle that are really hoods

Well there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Seattle with South Park landing at the bottom of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Seattle aren’t all bad. Laurelhurst takes the cake as the best place to live in Seattle.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more Washington reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Seattle Neighborhoods

Rank Neighborhood Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 South Park 3,981 $39,828 $256,525
2 Georgetown 1,817 $54,832 $298,667
3 Sand Point 602 $58,750 $334,700
4 South Delridge 5,971 $51,559 $266,733
5 Riverview 3,473 $64,283 $292,100
6 Roxhill 4,855 $59,966 $300,300
7 North Delridge 3,945 $71,546 $328,560
8 Rainier Beach 14,824 $58,664 $315,620
9 Beacon Hill 35,144 $55,009 $315,965
10 International District 6,066 $29,103 $233,567
11 Northgate 3,562 $43,895 $299,175
12 University District 24,712 $38,028 $295,429
13 Olympic Hills 7,769 $49,759 $292,550
14 High Point 7,315 $52,913 $301,600
15 Haller Lake 7,842 $58,392 $321,956
16 Pioneer Square 513 $91,316 $300,433
17 Columbia City 8,725 $51,415 $350,827
18 Highland Park 7,302 $53,353 $271,438
19 Bitter Lake 8,851 $51,135 $340,511
20 North College Park 7,272 $60,685 $320,400
21 Atlantic 4,911 $55,015 $370,483
22 Industrial District 2,612 $76,071 $402,100
23 Brighton 7,761 $52,118 $328,525
24 Mount Baker 7,866 $71,251 $436,530
25 Victory Heights 4,916 $64,551 $359,114
26 Pinehurst 5,799 $52,446 $348,650
27 Crown Hill 2,933 $78,869 $448,133
28 Cedar Park 5,130 $66,930 $383,671
29 Blue Ridge 1,720 $82,341 $490,475
30 Meadowbrook 3,508 $72,840 $377,600
31 Seward Park 4,344 $80,875 $454,411
32 Interbay 3,786 $75,782 $501,467
33 Downtown 11,129 $57,573 $395,053
34 Central District 16,669 $62,590 $367,847
35 South Lake Union 5,025 $70,311 $326,700
36 First Hill 11,822 $42,604 $340,067
37 Greenwood 16,394 $75,337 $380,667
38 Broadview 7,779 $81,145 $443,980
39 Maple Leaf 11,121 $75,479 $459,454
40 Arbor Heights 5,116 $95,161 $418,533
41 Ballard 15,909 $76,729 $450,827
42 Sunset Hill 6,111 $84,783 $526,162
43 West Seattle 25,407 $78,641 $440,052
44 Westlake 3,324 $83,548 $376,100
45 Alki 2,171 $82,928 $572,900
46 Admiral 12,313 $90,268 $472,600
47 Leschi 3,610 $99,586 $563,000
48 North Beach 2,161 $108,658 $546,467
49 Madison Valley 1,564 $115,607 $513,875
50 Capitol Hill 35,122 $75,233 $473,706
51 Belltown 9,044 $66,292 $382,960
52 Lower Queen Anne 10,358 $70,143 $438,860
53 Whittier Heights 5,227 $94,080 $471,900
54 View Ridge 4,243 $117,918 $618,040
55 Fremont 11,859 $72,645 $475,769
56 Matthews Beach 5,468 $98,214 $493,243
57 Roosevelt 3,067 $84,932 $519,100
58 Loyal Heights 7,345 $86,304 $461,311
59 Hawthorne Hills 1,669 $108,923 $661,000
60 Broadmoor 1,482 $111,415 $860,050
61 Wedgwood 10,114 $96,990 $461,400
62 Madison Park 1,672 $134,612 $953,626
63 Olympic Manor 2,145 $99,903 $621,233
64 Phinney Ridge 10,445 $86,938 $527,531
65 Ravenna 10,369 $90,293 $550,700
66 Magnolia 16,658 $104,109 $599,994
67 Eastlake 3,667 $70,466 $533,125
68 Montlake 1,940 $118,211 $779,333
69 Madrona 3,948 $111,769 $589,167
70 Fauntleroy 4,138 $105,171 $528,000
71 Windermere 1,649 $131,315 $870,000
72 Wallingford 15,687 $86,960 $519,231
73 Green Lake 8,902 $86,543 $531,175
74 Denny-Blaine 1,018 $198,420 $870,450
75 Bryant 5,287 $104,527 $542,825
76 Queen Anne 24,052 $94,551 $629,365
77 Portage Bay 1,667 $95,027 $630,400
78 Laurelhurst 4,084 $152,722 $895,680

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