Seattle/Compare
Ballard vs Northgate
Ballard and Northgate are two official districts in Seattle. Northgate is the calmer Part I map (63 vs 47). Walk is a wash (35 vs 37). Northgate has the lower ACS median ($1,948).
Data vintage. ACS 2024 5-year · SPD Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · OSM Sep 2026 · updated Sep 2026
Scores
Fit axes among official Seattle Neighborhood Map Atlas districts.
| Axis | Ballard | Northgate |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 63 |
| Schools | 68 | 42 |
| Walk | 35 | 37 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 30 | 26 |
| Median rent | $2,263 | $1,948 |
| Median home | $981,868 | $821,263 |
| Population | 45,725 | 44,064 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 24 min |
| Commute to South Lake Union | 18 min | 20 min |
| Commute to University | 22 min | 16 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Ballard | Northgate |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 51% | 55% |
| Median age | 36.7 | 36.5 |
| Median income | $153K | $110K |
| Part I per 1k | 44.2 | 35.3 |
| Groceries / 800m | 23 | 20 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 119 | 154 |
| Parks / 800m | 53 | 108 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,049 | 513 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Seattle city. Up 79% since 2014. Ballard is 11% above the 2024 city median. N'gate is 4% below the 2024 city median.
Overlapping 5-year ACS windows (B25064), not asking rent. Census does not publish a rent series for each official neighborhood, so the line is the city place. Dashed marks are each area’s ACS 2024 median.
Which to pick
The same numbers as the table, in sentences. Nobody wins the city.
Pick Ballard if you want the cafes and the night and the school rating nearby is the point. Vibe is 30 vs 26. Schools score 68 vs 42. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Northgate if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the rent gap is the point. Safety is 63 vs 47. ACS median rent is $1,948 vs $2,263. Read both pages before you decide.
Ballard
Old fishing town, new apartments. The locks and the Sunday market set the postcard; Ballard Avenue sets the night.
$2,263 median rent · safety 47 · walk 35
Northgate
The mall became light rail and apartments. Maple Leaf’s bungalows sit next to a station that did not exist a decade ago. North-end practical, not a postcard.
$1,948 median rent · safety 63 · walk 37
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Ballard or Northgate?
Northgate is the lower ACS median: $2,263 vs $1,948. About 55% rent in Northgate vs 51% in Ballard. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Ballard more walkable than Northgate?
Walk is basically a tie (35 vs 37). Count groceries if you care: 23 in Ballard vs 20 in Northgate, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Ballard or Northgate?
Northgate is the calmer Part I read (63 vs 47). Combined rate 35.3 vs 44.2 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Ballard or Northgate?
Ballard leads the school axis (68 vs 42). Nearby rating is 7.6 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 36.7 vs 36.5. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Ballard to Downtown, 24 from Northgate. Ballard is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official district that is not Ballard or Northgate: Northwest. Greenwood’s strip and Broadview’s bluff. Search Greenwood; the official district runs to the county line. More house than Fremont, more car than Ballard.
Scores are relative among official Seattle Neighborhood Map Atlas districts with the same editorial weights. Read the method.