Frequently Asked Questions
How is the safety score calculated?
Safety scores (1-100) are calculated using violent crime rates (60% weight), property crime rates (30% weight), and year-over-year trends (10% weight). Scores are normalized against national averages, where 50 represents the median. Higher scores indicate safer areas.
How often is the data updated?
Cities with real portal data (10 cities) are updated quarterly when new crime reports are published. Cities using FBI UCR estimates (40 cities) are updated annually. Last update: March 2026.
Why is my city not listed?
HoodSafe currently covers the 50 largest US cities by population. We're working to expand coverage based on data availability from open data portals and FBI statistics.
Where does the crime data come from?
We pull real crime data from 10 official city open data portals (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Detroit, Baltimore). The remaining 40 cities use FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data calibrated with local factors. See our methodology page for details.
What types of crime are included?
We track both violent crimes (homicide, assault, robbery, rape) and property crimes (burglary, theft, vehicle theft). Violent crimes are weighted more heavily in safety scores.
How accurate are the neighborhood boundaries?
Neighborhood boundaries are based on official city designations where available. For some cities, we use police precinct or district boundaries. Boundaries may not match all local definitions.
Can I use this data for real estate decisions?
HoodSafe provides general safety information to help inform decisions. We recommend combining our data with local knowledge, visiting neighborhoods in person, and consulting multiple sources before making major decisions.
Is HoodSafe free to use?
Yes, HoodSafe is completely free. We believe safety information should be accessible to everyone.