The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Seattle, WA


The most dangerous and worst Seattle neighborhoods are South Park and International District for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Worst Neighborhoods In Seattle
Source: Public domain

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 Washington thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Seattle. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.

So the question arises, which Seattle neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?

Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science 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 77 of Seattle’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Seattle’s reputation.


Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Seattle For 2024

  1. South Park
  2. International District
  3. Northgate
  4. Sand Point
  5. Pioneer Square
  6. Georgetown
  7. North Delridge
  8. Roxhill
  9. Rainier Beach
  10. South Delridge

So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Seattle for 2024? According to the most recent census data, South Park looks to be the worst neighborhood in Seattle.

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

For more Washington reading, check out:

The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Seattle For 2024

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,730
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 649
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,385
Median Home Value: $407,750 (worst)
Median Income: $56,829 (2nd worst)
More on South Park:  Data

No, this isn’t the home of foul-mouthed cartoon characters. That South Park is in Colorado. You’ll find this South Park in the southern part of Seattle, across the Duwamish Waterway from the city’s airport.

Located near a busy aviation hub and an industrialized estuary, South Park doesn’t seem to present many park-like elements. Still, it doesn’t have a smattering of green space and some pleasant areas by the water.

Cosmetic aspects aside, residents wrestle with weighty financial concerns. The median income only reaches $56,829 – not exactly yacht money. In addition, the unemployment rate touches 6.3%.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 6,935
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 890
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,925
Median Home Value: $498,789 (8th worst)
Median Income: $49,002 (worst)
More on International District:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 4,414
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,499
Property Crime Per 100k: 10,545
Median Home Value: $481,040 (5th worst)
Median Income: $65,554 (5th worst)
More on Northgate:  Data

In a medieval castle, or on a Game of Thrones set, you might expect a drawbridge and some archer towers. As in, “Look out! The wildlings are attacking the North Gate!” Here, the neighborhood just marks the northern stretch of Seattle.

With I-5 running through the center of the area, Northgate comes with its share of diversions. You’ve got amenities like the Jackson Park Golf Course. However, you also face an issue we’ve encountered elsewhere on this list: high real estate prices. In this case, a home will run you a median cost of $481,040. Compare that to the local median income of $65,554.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 788
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,740
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,729
Median Home Value: $515,100 (12th worst)
Median Income: $75,068 (8th worst)
More on Sand Point:  Data

Sand Point is less of neighborhood and more of a giant park. It sits along the Sand Point peninsula in the northeastern part of the city, overlooking Lake Washington. It mostly consists of Magnuson Park, though there are a few residential areas as well.

You really couldn’t ask for a prettier spot to live. Of course, that kind of view comes at a cost. The median home value in this section amounts to $515,100. Also, while they’re close to the water and all the park attractions, residents live far from the heart of the city. This means they have to venture out for many amusements and necessities.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 654
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 526
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,091
Median Home Value: $637,150 (27th worst)
Median Income: $80,342 (15th worst)
More on Pioneer Square:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 1,949
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 860
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,687
Median Home Value: $491,060 (7th worst)
Median Income: $76,727 (11th worst)
More on Georgetown:  Data

Welcome to Georgetown, home of the King County International Airport/Boeing Field. It’s already a theme on this list and a trend common to most cities: you don’t want to live near the airport. Unless you were one of those kids you just loved watching planes take off and land, you’re better off searching out a more inviting part of the city.

That said, the Seattle airport has some special features. Specifically, it serves as the base for airplane maker Boeing, which uses it for test flights.

All this activity helps support a robust economy, with a median income of $76,727 and an unemployment rate of 2.5%. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find amenities nearby and the median home price runs high at $491,060.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 4,840
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 644
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,529
Median Home Value: $579,700 (18th worst)
Median Income: $97,486 (26th worst)
More on North Delridge:  Data

Don’t let the name fool you. North Delridge is located in the southern part of the city, near Harbor Island and a series of industrial districts. That said, the area itself is quite green. It has a host of park space, including Puget Park.

As we’ve seen elsewhere on this list, the cost of living undermines an otherwise beautiful neighborhood. Sure, the median income around here equals $97,486. But that’s not enough to make the mortgage on $350,000 house affordable. And that’s what you’re looking at as a median home price in North Delridge.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 5,468
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 698
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,638
Median Home Value: $507,300 (10th worst)
Median Income: $83,584 (17th worst)
More on Roxhill:  Data

Located in the southwest part of the city, a short drive from the bay, Roxhill makes this list for one major reason. It ranks as the number 8 worst part of Seattle for 2024 because of the high real estate prices.

The median home value in the area comes in at a hefty $507,300. That’s a lot to afford, even when the local median income reaches $83,584.

Also, it’s a lot to spend for the location. Notice we said “near the bay,” not “on the bay.” It will take a 10-minute drive to reach Lincoln Park and the water. You’ll also have to commute to downtown, leaving the area separate from the city’s main attractions.

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 16,060
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 829
Property Crime Per 100k: 4,656
Median Home Value: $447,755 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $85,466 (19th worst)
More on Rainier Beach:  Data

Rainier Beach sounds like a resort. Like, “Hey, let’s take my private jet to Rainier Beach and spend the weekend skinny dipping and drinking champagne.” Well, it’s not quite on that level. But this portion of southeastern Seattle does sit by the water, overlooking the shores of Lake Washington.

The only other way Rainier Beach resembles an exotic tropical destination: it’s expensive. Not private island expensive. But hard to afford for anyone making a regular salary. The median home value in the area tops $330,000. Meanwhile, the median income barely ticks above $60,000.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 6,821
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 564
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,334
Median Home Value: $443,260 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $75,812 (9th worst)
More on South Delridge:  Data

Maybe just stay away from any Delridges. They all seem to end up on this list of the worst neighborhoods in Seattle for 2024. Elsewhere, you’ll find North Delridge. Now, you’ve got her southern sister. Meanwhile, this neighborhood’s western neighbor, Roxhill, makes the list as well.

With those associations, you might consider this the bad part of town. But that idea is relative. In some cities, a median income of $75,812 and an unemployment rate of 3.2% would merit a parade. Here, it counts as a sluggish economy. This disconnect comes about because of a comparably high cost of living, with a median home price of $443,260.

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Seattle neighborhoods in 2024

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 plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Seattle:

  • High crime (Estimated)
  • 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)

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

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Seattle.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Seattle.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 77 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Seattle

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

The worst neighborhoods in Seattle are South Park, International District, Northgate, Sand Point, Pioneer Square, Georgetown, North Delridge, Roxhill, Rainier Beach, and South Delridge.

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

The best neighborhoods in Seattle are Laurelhurst, Windermere, Bryant, Hawthorne Hills, and Madrona.

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

For more Washington reading, check out:

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Seattle For 2024?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 South Park 3,730 $407,750 $56,829
2 International District 6,935 $498,789 $49,002
3 Northgate 4,414 $481,040 $65,554
4 Sand Point 788 $515,100 $75,068
5 Pioneer Square 654 $637,150 $80,342
6 Georgetown 1,949 $491,060 $76,727
7 North Delridge 4,840 $579,700 $97,486
8 Roxhill 5,468 $507,300 $83,584
9 Rainier Beach 16,060 $447,755 $85,466
10 South Delridge 6,821 $443,260 $75,812
11 Atlantic 5,555 $645,962 $76,498
12 Highland Park 6,752 $468,420 $77,412
13 Haller Lake 9,105 $509,188 $84,547
14 Riverview 3,738 $485,375 $94,884
15 Beacon Hill 35,469 $560,896 $76,883
16 Olympic Hills 8,834 $498,967 $73,213
17 First Hill 13,005 $619,250 $80,018
18 High Point 8,807 $546,950 $90,727
19 Mount Baker 10,406 $700,367 $105,979
20 Bitter Lake 9,207 $540,100 $62,397
21 Industrial District 3,017 $593,600 $101,956
22 Columbia City 10,582 $601,183 $101,141
23 South Lake Union 7,155 $572,767 $112,418
24 North College Park 7,296 $623,612 $93,581
25 Brighton 8,678 $538,922 $67,024
26 Lower Queen Anne 13,141 $652,042 $89,961
27 Central District 19,378 $694,700 $89,534
28 Victory Heights 6,008 $607,917 $106,968
29 University District 31,937 $850,889 $61,264
30 Interbay 3,359 $767,220 $112,626
31 Pinehurst 6,903 $598,217 $82,235
32 Cedar Park 6,255 $636,914 $90,465
33 Ballard 20,145 $717,026 $111,230
34 Madison Park 1,750 $1,612,125 $148,198
35 Roosevelt 3,994 $832,550 $125,118
36 Meadowbrook 4,549 $648,483 $104,565
37 Capitol Hill 42,342 $712,089 $101,771
38 Alki 1,809 $762,750 $123,565
39 Admiral 12,572 $725,325 $131,429
40 Greenwood 18,085 $633,528 $98,236
41 Maple Leaf 13,133 $655,680 $112,090
42 Broadview 8,519 $659,771 $103,633
43 Belltown 12,974 $724,745 $119,089
44 Eastlake 3,127 $872,333 $118,666
45 Downtown 18,952 $728,205 $104,919
46 Fauntleroy 4,135 $795,340 $108,630
47 Green Lake 10,751 $761,711 $115,032
48 Seward Park 4,900 $749,267 $126,607
49 Crown Hill 3,518 $755,400 $135,529
50 Montlake 2,382 $1,028,050 $209,141
51 Broadmoor 1,183 $1,438,150 $209,423
52 Sunset Hill 5,871 $778,700 $126,147
53 Westlake 5,252 $676,800 $134,864
54 Arbor Heights 5,143 $681,967 $122,584
55 Blue Ridge 2,056 $763,567 $133,868
56 West Seattle 30,285 $715,152 $114,356
57 Fremont 14,645 $757,769 $106,927
58 Loyal Heights 9,545 $778,571 $132,548
59 Matthews Beach 6,348 $782,183 $134,463
60 Madison Valley 1,941 $873,250 $121,864
61 Phinney Ridge 11,319 $841,450 $120,498
62 Ravenna 12,018 $852,658 $127,194
63 Leschi 4,884 $965,200 $137,792
64 Wallingford 16,998 $833,794 $122,922
65 Olympic Manor 2,666 $940,600 $187,862
66 Wedgwood 10,926 $792,455 $133,957
67 Portage Bay 1,891 $1,142,650 $167,367
68 Magnolia 19,471 $767,500 $141,201
69 View Ridge 4,352 $784,500 $152,296
70 Queen Anne 28,522 $908,813 $127,134
71 Whittier Heights 6,181 $710,475 $126,064
72 North Beach 2,562 $917,300 $139,319
73 Madrona 4,488 $960,117 $144,462
74 Hawthorne Hills 1,915 $1,000,000 $160,074
75 Bryant 5,081 $838,225 $132,914
76 Windermere 1,900 $1,523,750 $143,520
77 Laurelhurst 3,147 $1,500,867 $210,921
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

6 thoughts on “The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Seattle, WA

    1. If that were true people wouldn’t care when whites don’t want to let anyone else into their neighborhood. Face it, we set the standard.

    2. Assuming “better” doesn’t mean high property values, low crime, little blight/graffiti, and proximity to decent restaurants and retail.

  1. Racist and classist article. I live in the Bryant/Wedgwood area (both ranking high on this list) and it’s extremely white and boring with lack of access to most things that make living in this expensive city “worth it”. And Laurelhurst?? There isn’t anything to do or see in Laurelhurst.

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