University District is a neighborhood of 11,700 residents in Portland, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is University District in Portland safe?
Crime in University District is high by national standards, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of C. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 84% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than University District. Violent crime grades B and property crime D. Portland as a whole grades C. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within University District run from B- to F, so check the map below.
C
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 461 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
16% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than University District as a whole, and 84% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. University District scores 461.
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, Portland, OR at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in University District in Portland, 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
Thefts and robberies both run high. In University District, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 55.4 thefts and 2.2 robberies a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 0.62 nationally.
Car thefts happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Portland as a whole, 62% of reported car thefts happen on streets and sidewalks, against 27% nationally.
How University District compares within Portland
High crime is widespread across University District: 54% of residents live in areas graded D or F, and 8% in areas graded A or B. Grades across University District run from B- to F; every part of University District has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
38%54%
A or B 8%C 38%D or F 54%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
University District has less crime than 37 of the 64 neighborhoods in Portland. It covers much of the Northwest, University District, and Pearl District areas.
Is crime going up in Portland?
Since 2019, reported violent crime in Portland as a whole is up 27%, while property crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 5.6 to 7.1 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 53 to 54 (US: 18). Neither changed much from 2023 to 2024.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
PortlandUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments that serve Portland. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Portland
Violent, US
Property, Portland
Property, US
2016
-10%
+4%
-2%
+15%
2017
-7%
+4%
+8%
+12%
2018
-4%
+0%
+5%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
+5%
+4%
-4%
-8%
2021
+41%
+6%
+12%
-10%
2022
+38%
+5%
+20%
-6%
2023
+29%
+2%
+10%
-7%
2024
+26%
-4%
+2%
-15%
Crime rates and types in University District
CrimeGrade™ estimates University District has about 121 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about triple the rate for the US as a whole and 58% more than Portland 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 46% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Portland
The Portland Police Department polices University District; these figures cover Portland as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Portland as a whole, 34% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 35% of them, against 18% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (46%)
Night (midnight to 6 am)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (62%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (35%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (30%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Streets and sidewalks (41%)
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 less crime than 6 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 53% of them.
Jobs, transit and walkability in University District
Two things set University District apart: it has 302 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 113 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places with both tend to report more theft and robbery than places with only one of them, and they run high here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.302 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for University District: B+ (72 of 100).113 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 97% 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. 97% of residents here live in walkable areas.A+ (93 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 95% 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.32.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 96% 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
Crime costs University District about $2,277 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 89% more than 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 $47 million a year, or $4,001 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, Portland, OR average a SchoolGrade of A+: 58% of students test proficient, against 55% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in University District on SchoolGrade
