Seattle/Compare
Cascade vs West Seattle
Cascade and West Seattle are two official districts in Seattle. West Seattle is the calmer Part I map (100 vs 11). West Seattle wins the errand count. West Seattle has the lower ACS median ($2,022).
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 | West Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 11 | 100 |
| Schools | 42 | 74 |
| Walk | 18 | 48 |
| Cost fit | 100 | 100 |
| Vibe | 18 | 27 |
| Median rent | $2,502 | $2,022 |
| Median home | $640,715 | $944,567 |
| Population | 15,054 | 58,033 |
| Commute to Downtown | 10 min | 22 min |
| Commute to South Lake Union | 6 min | 26 min |
| Commute to University | 14 min | 34 min |
Living numbers
Who rents, how old, how much crime, how many shops — beside the scores.
| Fact | Cascade | West Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Renters | 95% | 42% |
| Median age | 29.4 | 41.4 |
| Median income | $144K | $134K |
| Part I per 1k | 98.3 | 22.4 |
| Groceries / 800m | 11 | 23 |
| Transit stops / 800m | 67 | 235 |
| Parks / 800m | 35 | 80 |
| 311 last 14 days | 379 | 623 |
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. W Seattle is 0% 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 22 minutes to Downtown. Read both pages before you decide.
Pick West Seattle if the quieter map matters more than the scene and the school rating nearby is the point. Safety is 100 vs 11. Schools score 74 vs 42. Walk is 48 vs 18. 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
West Seattle
Alki is the beach; the Junction is the errand. A peninsula that feels like a second city until the bridge backs up. You come for the water and stay because the grocery is still a walk.
$2,022 median rent · safety 100 · walk 48
Common questions
Same pair, said in questions. The numbers are in the tables.
Which is cheaper, Cascade or West Seattle?
West Seattle is the lower ACS median: $2,502 vs $2,022. About 42% rent in West Seattle vs 95% in Cascade. Survey medians, not a listing you can message tonight.
Is Cascade more walkable than West Seattle?
West Seattle wins the errand count (walk 18 vs 48). Groceries inside 800 meters: 11 vs 23. Not a Walk Score license.
Which is safer on this map, Cascade or West Seattle?
West Seattle is the calmer Part I read (100 vs 11). Combined rate 22.4 vs 98.3 per 1,000. Visitors count in those numbers.
Which scores higher for families, Cascade or West Seattle?
West Seattle leads the school axis (74 vs 42). Nearby rating is 7.8 / 10 vs 6.8 / 10. Median age 41.4 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, 22 from West Seattle. Cascade is the shorter weekday. Not this hour's traffic.
If you drop both
Closest official district that is not Cascade or West Seattle: 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.