Hopefully you feel safe in the city or town you call home. Statistically, our state really is an overall safe place to be. That being said, some parts of Washington definitely have higher crime rates than others. This list is based off of several years’ worth of FBI crime statistics, specifically violent crime and property crime. Your personal experiences may vary.
- Tukwila
jpellgen / Flickr You’ve probably heard that Tukwila was named America’s most dangerous city. We aren’t sure if it really deserves that title, but the locals here have a 1 in 6 chance of being the victim of a crime. Ouch.
- Yakima
mSeattle / Flickr If you live in Yakima, your odds of being a crime victim are 1 in 15. It’s ranked sixth in the state for violent crime, the majority of those crimes being physical assaults.
- Spokane
Orin Blomberg / Flickr There were 5,939 reported thefts per 100,000 people in Spokane in 2012, the second highest in the state. The locals have a 1 in 11 chance of being victims of a crime. But Spokane is a good-sized city, so higher crime rates can be expected.
- Tacoma
Orin Bloomberg / Flickr Like Spokane, Tacoma is one of our largest cities, so statistically it will have more crime than our small towns. But unfortunately the locals here have a 1 in 14 chance of being the victim of a crime, and it has the second highest property crime rate in the entire state.
- Burien
Alex Smith / Flickr Watch your car carefully in Burien - the majority of reported crimes here are theft and vehicle theft. If you live here, your odds of being a victim of some kind of crime are 1 in 12.
- Centralia
George Bernstein / Flickr Surprised? Centralia seems like a peaceful place - and for the most part, it is. But in 2012, it was ranked 11th in the state for violent crime and 23rd for property crime, There are also a high number of murders for a place of its size (12 per 100,000 people), and locals have a 1 in 19 chance of being crime victims.
- SeaTac
SounderBruce / Flickr The 28,000 people who call SeaTac home have a 1 in 15 chance of being the victim of a crime. SeaTac has the 10th most violent crime in the state, most of which are rapes, robberies and assaults. Yikes.
- Auburn
Jasperdo / Flickr Auburn is home to about 73,000 people, and for a city that size, the violent crime rates are fairly low. Unfortunately it’s ranked 14th in the state for property crimes and has the 9th most murders on this list. Your odds of being a crime victim if you live here are 1 in 17.
- Longview
cmh2315fl / Flickr You have a 1 in 16 chance of being the victim of a crime if you live in Longview. Most of the crime committed here is assault, and the property crime rate is high for a small city as well.
- Port Orchard
compdude787 / Flickr Port Orchard is such a beautiful place… but if you live here, your odds of being a crime victim are 1 in 13. The city has the fourth highest property crime rates on this list, but there is good news: Port Orchard rarely has a murder.
Does this list seem accurate to you, or do you think the data seems incorrect? And in case you’re wondering, we also have a list of the safest places to live in Washington.
jpellgen / Flickr
You’ve probably heard that Tukwila was named America’s most dangerous city. We aren’t sure if it really deserves that title, but the locals here have a 1 in 6 chance of being the victim of a crime. Ouch.
mSeattle / Flickr
If you live in Yakima, your odds of being a crime victim are 1 in 15. It’s ranked sixth in the state for violent crime, the majority of those crimes being physical assaults.
Orin Blomberg / Flickr
There were 5,939 reported thefts per 100,000 people in Spokane in 2012, the second highest in the state. The locals have a 1 in 11 chance of being victims of a crime. But Spokane is a good-sized city, so higher crime rates can be expected.
Orin Bloomberg / Flickr
Like Spokane, Tacoma is one of our largest cities, so statistically it will have more crime than our small towns. But unfortunately the locals here have a 1 in 14 chance of being the victim of a crime, and it has the second highest property crime rate in the entire state.
Alex Smith / Flickr
Watch your car carefully in Burien - the majority of reported crimes here are theft and vehicle theft. If you live here, your odds of being a victim of some kind of crime are 1 in 12.
George Bernstein / Flickr
Surprised? Centralia seems like a peaceful place - and for the most part, it is. But in 2012, it was ranked 11th in the state for violent crime and 23rd for property crime, There are also a high number of murders for a place of its size (12 per 100,000 people), and locals have a 1 in 19 chance of being crime victims.
SounderBruce / Flickr
The 28,000 people who call SeaTac home have a 1 in 15 chance of being the victim of a crime. SeaTac has the 10th most violent crime in the state, most of which are rapes, robberies and assaults. Yikes.
Jasperdo / Flickr
Auburn is home to about 73,000 people, and for a city that size, the violent crime rates are fairly low. Unfortunately it’s ranked 14th in the state for property crimes and has the 9th most murders on this list. Your odds of being a crime victim if you live here are 1 in 17.
cmh2315fl / Flickr
You have a 1 in 16 chance of being the victim of a crime if you live in Longview. Most of the crime committed here is assault, and the property crime rate is high for a small city as well.
compdude787 / Flickr
Port Orchard is such a beautiful place… but if you live here, your odds of being a crime victim are 1 in 13. The city has the fourth highest property crime rates on this list, but there is good news: Port Orchard rarely has a murder.
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