Seattle/Compare
Cascade vs North Central
Cascade and North Central are two official districts in Seattle. North Central is the calmer Part I map (58 vs 11). North Central wins the errand count. North Central has the lower ACS median ($2,129).
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 | Cascade | North Central |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 11 | 58 |
| Schools | 42 | 81 |
| Walk | 18 | 42 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 18 | 42 |
| Median rent | $2,502 | $2,129 |
| Median home | $640,715 | $1,091,474 |
| Population | 15,054 | 56,361 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 16 min |
| Commute to South Lake Union | 6 min | 12 min |
| Commute to University | 14 min | 14 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Cascade | North Central |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 95% | 59% |
| Median age | 29.4 | 34.7 |
| Median income | $144K | $140K |
| Part I per 1k | 98.3 | 39.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 11 | 25 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 67 | 132 |
| Parks / 800m | 35 | 72 |
| 311 last 14 days | 379 | 1,575 |
Rent
Rent since 2014
ACS 5-year median gross rent for Seattle city. Up 79% since 2014. SLU is 23% above the 2024 city median. N Central 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 Cascade if the shorter ride to Downtown is the point. 10 vs 16 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick North Central if the quieter map matters more than the scene and you want the cafes and the night. Safety is 58 vs 11. Vibe is 42 vs 18. Schools score 81 vs 42. Read both pages before you decide.
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
North Central
The official district glues Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake, and Phinney Ridge. Search those names. The troll, the lake loop, and the Sunday streets are all in here.
$2,129 median rent · safety 58 · walk 42
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Cascade or North Central?
North Central is the lower ACS median: $2,502 vs $2,129. About 59% rent in North Central vs 95% in Cascade. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Cascade more walkable than North Central?
North Central wins the errand count (walk 18 vs 42). Groceries inside 800 meters: 11 vs 25. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Cascade or North Central?
North Central is the calmer Part I read (58 vs 11). Combined rate 39.4 vs 98.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Cascade or North Central?
North Central leads the school axis (81 vs 42). Nearby rating is 8.0 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 34.7 vs 29.4. Cascade has more of the night. Neither number is a school assignment.
Which has the shorter commute to Downtown?
10 minutes from Cascade to Downtown, 16 from North Central. Cascade is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official district that is not Cascade or North Central: 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.
Scores are relative among official Seattle Neighborhood Map Atlas districts with the same editorial weights. Read the method.