Most dangerous cities in Washington research summary. We analyzed the most recent FBI crime data to determine the most dangerous cities in Washington based on violent and property crimes per capita. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The most dangerous city in Washington is Fife based on the most recent FBI crime data.
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The violent crime rate in Washington is 1,853 per 100k people.
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The property crime rate in Washington is 11,950 per 100k people.
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The safest city in Washington is .
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Washington is the most dangerous state in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | References
Apparently there are more dangerous things in Washington than taking an elevator to the top of the Space Needle and/or getting caught on the Puget Sound during a storm: there are dangerous cities.
Yes, we have broken down the top ten most dangerous cities in Washington for 2023 and you can view them below.
Why did we produce this list? Well, we’re trying to help one navigate these dangerous cities when trying to make an informed decision on what city they should call home. To compile our list, we looked at violent crimes and property crimes in cities with a population of 5,000. That left us with 120 cities. The type of danger we’re talking about gets people on KOMO 4 at six. Folks, the cities that made our list have robberies happening in broad daylight, car jackings, and daily shootings. There are neighborhoods in these cities that you shouldn’t drive thru, ever, and there are areas that you definitely shouldn’t be in after dark.
We’re not saying that there aren’t little pockets of goodness in these Washington cities. There are neighborhoods and shopping centers in these cities that are working hard to make life easier. And it’s not entirely Washington’s fault that they have questionable cities. They are the 13th largest state in terms of population. As with most situations, there’s bound to be problems with that many people.
To see where these Washington cities with more issues than The Olympian are located, take a look below at our most dangerous cities in The Evergreen State for 2023.
What are the circumstances that make these Washington cities this way? Maybe not enough jobs, low wages, drugs, gangs, and in Washington’s case, their mediocre NFL team?
We’re not entirely sure. But one thing we are sure about is that the number one most dangerous city in Washington for 2023 is Fife.
So, if you don’t really leave your house, a dangerous city should mean nothing to you. Maybe you should consider holing up in one of our top ten most dangerous cities in Washington for 2023.
To make the best choice, take a look at the list below. If you don’t see a what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in Washington.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Washington For 2023
Up now is the city of Fife, a Tacoma suburb with a hefty crime problem. You’ll have to guard your winnings closely after a big night at the local casino because Fife had the second highest property crime rate in Washington.
On top of all the burglaries and larcenies going down in Fife, there’s also a lot of violent crime. The city of 10,577 experienced 1 murders in 2021, reflecting the 13th highest murder rate statewide.
In other words, if you’re looking to move to one of Tacoma’s best suburbs, steer clear of Fife.
/10
Population: 10,577
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,853 (Most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 11,950 (Second most dangerous)
More on Fife: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
For the second year running, Tukwila sees itself our list of Washington’s most dangerous places to live. It’s not hard to see why, either; Tukwila had an overall crime rate nearly seven times higher than the national average — yikes.
Residents of Tukwila had a 1 in 6 chance of being the victim of a property crime in 2021. That includes a whopping 593 car thefts and 219 burglaries.
Violent crime isn’t much better in Tukwila, the city with the 11th highest rate of rape cases in Washington. So while you can enjoy a day out at Crystal Springs Park, you’d be well-advised to bring a buddy and get home before dark.
With such high crime numbers, it’s no wonder that Tukwila also topped our list of Seattle’s worst suburbs.
/10
Population: 20,369
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 810 (Third most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 16,328 (Most dangerous)
More on Tukwila: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Tacoma was rated as one of the country’s “most walkable cities” in 2006, but we think the local population might disagree, given all the crime that goes down here. In fact, you’d have to be downright defiant to go walking by yourself at Point Defiance Park.
That’s because Tacoma had the second highest violent crime rate in Washington, with residents facing 1 in 84 shot of being the victim of an attack in 2021. Violent crime is nearly three times as high in Tacoma as the rest of the country.
So keep your guard up in the City of Destiny, or you might be destined for a violent encounter.
/10
Population: 222,235
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,181 (Second most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,732 (Fourth most dangerous)
More on Tacoma: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Located within the Yakama Indian Reservation, Toppenish comes in as Washington’s fourth most dangerous place to call home.
Toppenish’s low population inflates the impact of each crime, so much so that having just 1 murder in 2021 was enough to give the city the eighth highest murder rate in the state.
The burglary rate in Toppenish was also the fifth highest in Washington. Other types of property crime are also prevalent, but if you see buildings with spray paint on them, it’s probably not graffiti — Toppenish is the City of Murals, after all.
/10
Population: 8,745
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 537 (11th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,506 (Sixth most dangerous)
More on Toppenish: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
SeaTac gets its name directly from the airport that dominates the area, known as the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Live around here and you’ll have to get used to loud takeoffs and landings, as well as airport traffic. Plus, the community has an unfortunate crime problem. Robberies and car thefts are particularly common.
However, life in SeaTac isn’t all jet fumes and car jackings. You can also head over to the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden or enjoy a picnic at Angle Lake Park.
/10
Population: 29,103
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 546 (Ninth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,916 (Eighth most dangerous)
More on SeaTac: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
From the top of Seattle’s Space Needle, the city might look quite peaceful, but there’s a whole lot of crime going down in Washington’s biggest city.
Seattle’s not the sort of place you want to leave your home’s doors unlocked, considering it had the fourth highest burglary rate in Washington. Same goes for your car, what with the 5,261 car thefts recorded in 2021.
On top of that, violent crime ranked as the fifth highest statewide, with one rape, four robberies, and seven aggravated assaults a day, on average. Oh, and two murders a month, for good measure.
/10
Population: 787,749
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 745 (Fifth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,102 (13th most dangerous)
More on Seattle: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 7,885
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 9)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 494 (15th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,252 (Seventh most dangerous)
More on Chehalis: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Located on the southwestern edge of Tacoma, Lakewood comes in as Washington’s eighth most dangerous city.
There were 639 car thefts in Lakewood over the year, one of the higher rates on this list. We just hope nobody tries to pull a grand theft auto at America’s Car Museum.
Violent crime is the bigger problem in Lakewood, though. Residents had a 1 in 132 chance of being the victim of an assault, murder, rape, or robbery in 2021.
/10
Population: 61,325
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 753 (Fourth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,841 (18th most dangerous)
More on Lakewood: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 188,160
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 6)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 589 (Seventh most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,932 (16th most dangerous)
More on Vancouver: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 10,030
Rank Last Year: –
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 508 (12th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,523 (12th most dangerous)
More on Airway Heights: | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous cities in Washington for 2023?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Washington. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Washington, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the 2021 data, specifically the 2021 Crime In The United States Report for Washington. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2023.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Washington cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 120 cities in Washington.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 120 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Washington — Fife. Any ties went to the smaller city.
Most Dangerous Places To Live In Washington FAQs
Yes, Washington is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #18 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in washington ranks 35th highest in the United States — 24.27% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Evergreen State ranks fourth highest in the United States — 39.54% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.
Yes, Seattle is a dangerous city. Seattle ranks as the #28 most dangerous out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Seattle might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Hawthorne Hills is the safest in Seattle, while Belltown is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Seattle ranks 106th highest in America — 14.1% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 17th highest in the United States — 83.47% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
Yes, Washington is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #18 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in washington ranks 35th highest in the United States -- 24.27% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Evergreen State ranks fourth highest in the United States -- 39.54% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.
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Yes, Seattle is a dangerous city. Seattle ranks as the #28 most dangerous out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Seattle might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Hawthorne Hills is the safest in Seattle, while Belltown is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Seattle ranks 106th highest in America -- 14.1% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 17th highest in the United States -- 83.47% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
"}}]}
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Washington
Summary: Locking It All Up In Washington
So what is the most dangerous city in Washington? After analyzing 120 cities in Washington, Fife takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Washington based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2021.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Fife ranks as the most dangerous city in Washington for 2023.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Fife and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
What are the circumstances that make these Washington cities this way? Maybe not enough jobs, low wages, drugs, gangs, and in Washington’s case, their mediocre NFL team?
We’re not entirely sure. But one thing we are sure about is that the number one most dangerous city in Washington for 2023 is Fife.
So, if you don’t really leave your house, a dangerous city should mean nothing to you. Maybe you should consider holing up in one of our top ten most dangerous cities in Washington for 2023.
To make the best choice, take a look at the list below. If you don’t see a what you’re looking for there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in Washington.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
Here are the safest cities in Washington:
- Lake Stevens (Pop. 35,500)
- Lake Forest Park (Pop. 13,514)
- Bainbridge Island (Pop. 25,601)
- Camas (Pop. 24,979)
- Brier (Pop. 7,030)
- Oak Harbor (Pop. 23,792)
- Sammamish (Pop. 66,855)
- Black Diamond (Pop. 5,551)
- Connell (Pop. 5,660)
- Duvall (Pop. 8,319)
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Washington
- Safest Places In Washington
- Worst Places To Live In Washington
Crime By City In Washington
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Fife | 10,577 |
2 | Tukwila | 20,369 |
3 | Tacoma | 222,235 |
4 | Toppenish | 8,745 |
5 | SeaTac | 29,103 |
6 | Seattle | 787,749 |
7 | Chehalis | 7,885 |
8 | Lakewood | 61,325 |
9 | Vancouver | 188,160 |
10 | Airway Heights | 10,030 |
11 | Spokane | 223,344 |
12 | Federal Way | 97,017 |
13 | Puyallup | 43,144 |
14 | Burien | 51,584 |
15 | Bellingham | 95,279 |
16 | Kent | 131,899 |
17 | Port Orchard | 14,995 |
18 | Auburn | 82,158 |
19 | Union Gap | 6,163 |
20 | Ephrata | 8,268 |
21 | Olympia | 54,322 |
22 | Renton | 102,458 |
23 | Yakima | 94,594 |
24 | Shelton | 11,073 |
25 | Everett | 113,469 |
26 | Kelso | 12,493 |
27 | Moses Lake | 24,524 |
28 | Des Moines | 32,664 |
29 | Aberdeen | 16,824 |
30 | Spokane Valley | 104,276 |
31 | Woodland | 6,659 |
32 | Bremerton | 42,798 |
33 | Kennewick | 85,595 |
34 | Longview | 38,693 |
35 | Lynnwood | 39,517 |
36 | Burlington | 9,666 |
37 | Port Angeles | 20,519 |
38 | Milton | 8,325 |
39 | Yelm | 9,799 |
40 | Richland | 60,615 |
41 | Centralia | 18,131 |
42 | Sumner | 10,670 |
43 | Sunnyside | 16,888 |
44 | Ellensburg | 21,933 |
45 | Gig Harbor | 11,345 |
46 | Arlington | 21,405 |
47 | Edmonds | 42,803 |
48 | Covington | 22,024 |
49 | Sequim | 7,911 |
50 | Lacey | 55,484 |
References
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FBI UCR 2022
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Census – American Cumminity Survey
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