Crime in Downtown and Chinatown, Washington

About 165,321 people work in Downtown and Chinatown, 7.4 times its 22,235 residents (Census jobs data, 2023). The rates divide by residents only, so they run high here: most people in Downtown and Chinatown on a weekday live somewhere else. The counts, and how they change from year to year, say more than the rate.

Rates use an estimated population (2020 Census blocks, scaled to today’s city total) of 22,235 for Downtown and Chinatown. Small areas swing more month to month, so all rates here use a 12-month window ending September 2026.

1the block with the most violent incidents10the tenthCounted over the last 12 months. Point at a mark, or at a row in the table below, to see which street it is.

SaferHigher rateNot rated: park or fewer than 2,500 residentsArea shading: violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year, so you can see how this neighbourhood compares with the ones around it.

Downtown and Chinatown is in the middle of the city’s range: rank 13 of 38. Nearby in the ranking: Capitol View and Marshall Heights (547), Sheridan and Barry Farm (499), Southwest Employment Area and Southwest/Waterfront (462), Union Station and Stanton Park (446).

“Block” is the hundred-block as the police department publishes it (for example 14XX U St NW), never an exact address. Only blocks with 5 or more violent incidents in the window are listed; the top 2 account for 10% of Downtown and Chinatown’s violent incidents. These are the numbered marks on the map above; hover a row to find it.