Moving to Karlstad? We compared all 31 neighbourhoods on safety, schools and transport using official Swedish data — police crime reports, Statistics Sweden (SCB) and the National Agency for Education (Skolverket).
Short answer: For safety, look at Stockfallet-Edsgatan södra-Steffensminne, Skåreberget-Älvåker and Hultsberg-Gustavsberg. For families, Herrhagen sydöstra-Yttre hamn and Viken-Tyggårdsviken-Tullholmen combine good schools, preschools and low crime. For a car-free life, Norrstrand and Våxnäs have the best public transport and services nearby.
Ranked by reported crime relative to the number of people who live, work and spend time there.
| # | Neighbourhood | Safety |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stockfallet-Edsgatan södra-Steffensminne | 100 |
| 2 | Skåreberget-Älvåker | 99 |
| 3 | Hultsberg-Gustavsberg | 91 |
| 4 | Råtorp | 91 |
| 5 | Alster-Skattkärr-Skattkärrs omland | 88 |
Weighs school quality, preschools, safety, services and the share of children.
| # | Neighbourhood | Family |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herrhagen sydöstra-Yttre hamn | 78 |
| 2 | Viken-Tyggårdsviken-Tullholmen | 75 |
| 3 | Kvarnberget-Sommarro-Marieberg | 75 |
| 4 | Kronoparken centrala | 69 |
| 5 | Romstad-Strand | 68 |
Weighs nearby public transport stops, distance to the nearest stop, and shops and services.
| # | Neighbourhood | Transport |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norrstrand | 87 |
| 2 | Våxnäs | 86 |
| 3 | Herrhagen sydöstra-Yttre hamn | 84 |
| 4 | Romstad-Strand | 83 |
| 5 | Gruvlyckan | 83 |
Scores run from 0 to 100, where higher is better. Data: Swedish Police (reported crime 2024–2025), SCB, Skolverket and OpenStreetMap.
Karlstad has an average safety index of 69 out of 100 across its neighbourhoods (Good), where higher is safer. 81% of residents feel safe outdoors after dark (municipal citizen survey, 2025). Safety varies a lot between neighbourhoods, so compare the areas above.
Herrhagen sydöstra-Yttre hamn has the highest family score (78 out of 100), followed by Viken-Tyggårdsviken-Tullholmen and Kvarnberget-Sommarro-Marieberg. The score weighs school quality, preschools, safety, services and the share of children.