University District is a neighborhood of 8,940 residents in Cleveland, about 5 miles east of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is University District in Cleveland safe?
Crime in University District is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than University District. Violent crime grades B+ and property crime C+. Cleveland as a whole grades F. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within University District run from B to F, so check the map below.
B
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 633 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
25% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than University District as a whole, and 75% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. University District scores 633.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in University District, Cleveland, OH at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in University District in Cleveland, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in University District
Vehicle theft at more than triple the US rate. University District has 9.5 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
Crime rates and types in University District
CrimeGrade™ estimates University District has about 79 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about double the rate for the US as a whole and 39% less than Cleveland as a whole.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft is the most common crime in University District, about 30% of everything reported.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Cleveland
The Cleveland Police Department polices University District; these figures cover Cleveland as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Cleveland as a whole, 71% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often in parking lots and garages: 39% of them, against 31% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (71%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (40%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (39%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (32%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (39%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (46%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How University District compares with nearby neighborhoods
University District has the least crime of its 10 nearest neighborhoods.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from University District. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with neighborhoods of similar size and density, University District is safer than 70% of them.
Jobs, empty homes and walkability in University District
Two things set University District apart: it has 332 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 14.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft and robbery, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.332 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.14.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 61% of residents here live in walkable areas.B (63 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 73% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft and car theft.18.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 87% of residents of US city neighborhoods
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs University District
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs University District about $3,085 a year per household, more than double the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $40 million a year, or $4,429 per resident.
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in University District means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. University District is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in University District, Cleveland, OH average a SchoolGrade of D-: 36% of students test proficient, against 26% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in University District on SchoolGrade
