Best PlacesUniversity District, Seattle, WA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University District, Seattle, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
University District, Seattle ranks 2,918th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and the cost of living against local pay is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University District, Seattle
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
University District, Seattle's strengths and weaknesses
Where University District, Seattle ranks high
- TransitBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
Where University District, Seattle ranks low
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$2,022 a month, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University District, Seattle
A household needs to earn about $245,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University District, Seattle home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $51,624, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses University District, Seattle's effective rate of 0.70%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University District, Seattle
University District, Seattle runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University District, Seattle.
Who works in University District, Seattle, and how
Work in University District, Seattle centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 26%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 53%
Life in University District, Seattle
University District, Seattle has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 66% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 5 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of University District, Seattle and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University District, Seattle, month by month
University District, Seattle sees roughly 153 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 81 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 62° | 52° | 43° |
| July | 81° | 68° | 58° |
| October | 63° | 54° | 46° |
Flying in and out of University District, Seattle
The nearest airport, Boeing Field/King County International, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Seattle-Tacoma International, about 15 miles away.
University District, Seattle measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare University District, Seattle against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who University District, Seattle suits
Common questions about living in University District, Seattle
Is University District, Seattle a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University District, Seattle ranks 2,918th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, population health, and clean air, and lowest on the cost of living against local pay and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University District, Seattle expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $951,021. The overall cost of living runs about 29% above the national average. Set against a $51,624 median income, cost of living beats 6% of neighborhoods.
Is University District, Seattle safe?
University District, Seattle is safer than 17% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,075 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in University District, Seattle?
July highs average about 81 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 35. That works out to about 153 pleasant days a year, more than 77% of neighborhoods.
Is University District, Seattle good for families?
Schools beat 83% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 17%, and childcare runs $2,022 a month.
Compare University District, Seattle with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University District, Seattle. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University District, Seattle represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
University District, Seattle detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University District, Seattle: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University District, Seattle: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University District, Seattle: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University District, Seattle: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University District, Seattle detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.