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Seattle/Compare

Capitol Hill vs Cascade

Capitol Hill and Cascade are two official districts in Seattle. Capitol Hill is the calmer Part I map (16 vs 11). Capitol Hill wins the errand count. Capitol Hill has the lower ACS median ($2,009).

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.

AxisCapitol HillCascade
Safety1611
Schools5542
Walk4818
Cost fit100100
Vibe4718
Median rent$2,009$2,502
Median home$1,299,835$640,715
Population54,14915,054
Commute to Downtown12 min10 min
Commute to South Lake Union10 min6 min
Commute to University16 min14 min

Living numbers

Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.

FactCapitol HillCascade
Renters68%95%
Median age36.429.4
Median income$133K$144K
Part I per 1k55.998.3
Groceries / 800m2611
Transit stops / 800m15267
Parks / 800m8735
311 last 14 days1,350379

Rent

Rent since 2014

ACS 5-year median gross rent for Seattle city. Up 79% since 2014. Cap Hill is 1% below the 2024 city median. SLU is 23% above the 2024 city median.

$1.4k$2.8kCap Hill $2,009SLU $2,502201420162018202020222024

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 Capitol Hill if you want the cafes and the night and you want the errands on foot. Vibe is 47 vs 18. Walk is 48 vs 18. ACS median rent is $2,009 vs $2,502. Read both pages before you decide.

Pick Cascade if you already want this pocket more than the table. Capitol Hill leads the numbered axes on this page.

Capitol Hill

Search Broadway or Pike/Pine; the official district also swallows Madison Park and Montlake. Night on one edge, lake money on the other.

$2,009 median rent · safety 16 · walk 48

Cascade

The official name is Cascade. Search South Lake Union or Eastlake. Amazon’s campus, Lake Union, and a skyline that did not exist fifteen years ago.

$2,502 median rent · safety 11 · walk 18

Common questions

Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.

Which is cheaper, Capitol Hill or Cascade?

Capitol Hill is the lower ACS median: $2,009 vs $2,502. About 68% rent in Capitol Hill vs 95% in Cascade. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.

Is Capitol Hill more walkable than Cascade?

Capitol Hill wins the errand count (walk 48 vs 18). Groceries inside 800 meters: 26 vs 11. Not a Walk Score license.

Which is safer on this map, Capitol Hill or Cascade?

Capitol Hill is the calmer Part I read (16 vs 11). Combined rate 55.9 vs 98.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.

Which scores higher for families, Capitol Hill or Cascade?

Capitol Hill leads the school axis (55 vs 42). Nearby rating is 7.2 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 36.4 vs 29.4. Cascade has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.

Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?

12 minutes from Capitol Hill to Downtown, 10 from Cascade. Cascade is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.

If you drop both

Closest official district that is not Capitol Hill or Cascade: Central Area. The CD on the map, Madrona and Leschi on the lake edge. Older Seattle — churches, new infill, and a name people still argue about.

Capitol Hill vs Central AreaCascade vs Central Area

Scores are relative among official Seattle Neighborhood Map Atlas districts with the same editorial weights. Read the method.