Seattle/Compare
Ballard vs Queen Anne
Ballard and Queen Anne are two official districts in Seattle. Ballard is the calmer Part I map (47 vs 21). Walk is a wash (35 vs 33). Queen Anne has the lower ACS median ($2,141).
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 | Queen Anne |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 47 | 21 |
| Schools | 68 | 74 |
| Walk | 35 | 33 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 30 | 23 |
| Median rent | $2,263 | $2,141 |
| Median home | $981,868 | $1,093,603 |
| Population | 45,725 | 42,490 |
| Commute to Downtown | 22 min | 10 min |
| Commute to South Lake Union | 18 min | 10 min |
| Commute to University | 22 min | 18 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Ballard | Queen Anne |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 51% | 61% |
| Median age | 36.7 | 35.4 |
| Median income | $153K | $136K |
| Part I per 1k | 44.2 | 54.8 |
| Groceries / 800m | 23 | 16 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 119 | 158 |
| Parks / 800m | 53 | 56 |
| 311 last 14 days | 1,049 | 875 |
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. QA is 5% above 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 quieter map matters more than the scene. Vibe is 30 vs 23. Safety is 47 vs 21. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick Queen Anne if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point and the rent gap is the point. 10 vs 22 minutes to Downtown. ACS median rent is $2,141 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
Queen Anne
The hill looks at downtown; Lower Queen Anne eats after the game. Counterbalance and a grocery you can walk to if you picked the right side of the ridge.
$2,141 median rent · safety 21 · walk 33
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Ballard or Queen Anne?
Queen Anne is the lower ACS median: $2,263 vs $2,141. About 61% rent in Queen Anne vs 51% in Ballard. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Ballard more walkable than Queen Anne?
Walk is basically a tie (35 vs 33). Count groceries if you care: 23 in Ballard vs 16 in Queen Anne, inside 800 meters.
Which is safer on this map, Ballard or Queen Anne?
Ballard is the calmer Part I read (47 vs 21). Combined rate 44.2 vs 54.8 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Ballard or Queen Anne?
Queen Anne leads the school axis (74 vs 68). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 7.6 / 10. Median age 35.4 vs 36.7. Ballard has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
22 minutes from Ballard to Downtown, 10 from Queen Anne. Queen Anne is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official district that is not Ballard or Queen Anne: Magnolia. A peninsula with one way in. Discovery Park is the amenity; the quiet is the product. You will drive more than you think, and hear less than almost anywhere else on this map.
Scores are relative among official Seattle Neighborhood Map Atlas districts with the same editorial weights. Read the method.