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Most Dangerous Cities in Washington 2024

Avg Violent Crime Rate

336
0.7x avg
per 100K (these cities)

Avg Murder Rate

4.3
0.7x avg
per 100K (national: 6.2)

Avg Property Crime Rate

2,960
per 100K (these cities)

Crime Hotspots in Washington (2024)

These 42 cities reported the highest crime rates in Washington. On average, they experience 1.2x the national crime rate, with violent crime averaging 336 per 100,000 (national average: 473).

Tacoma, WA tops the list with a total crime rate of 6,667 per 100,000 — 2.4x the national average. Its violent crime rate of 1,063 per 100K is 2.2x the national average.

Full Rankings

# City State Population Total Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Murder Rate vs National
1 Tacoma WA 223,980 6,666.7 1,063.0 9.8 +142%
2 Lynnwood WA 45,807 6,330.9 266.3 8.7 +130%
3 Seattle WA 760,058 5,783.1 775.5 6.8 +110%
4 Spokane WA 229,529 5,518.3 677.5 7.0 +100%
5 Federal Way WA 96,631 4,917.7 545.4 5.2 +79%
6 Moses Lake WA 26,624 4,631.2 394.4 22.5 +68%
7 Auburn WA 82,838 4,512.4 544.4 12.1 +64%
8 Seatac Seatac WA 31,950 4,356.8 413.2 6.3 +58%
9 Lakewood WA 61,873 4,270.0 648.1 6.5 +55%
10 Kent WA 132,324 4,260.8 489.7 5.3 +55%
11 Puyallup WA 41,898 4,243.6 374.7 2.4 +54%
12 Bellingham WA 95,717 4,107.9 351.0 2.1 +49%
13 Olympia WA 55,775 4,000.0 564.8 7.2 +45%
14 Vancouver WA 198,194 3,991.0 583.8 5.6 +45%
15 Kennewick WA 85,553 3,828.0 367.0 3.5 +39%
16 Burien WA 50,318 3,819.7 425.3 4.0 +39%
17 Spokane Valley WA 109,852 3,757.8 242.1 0.9 +37%
18 Renton WA 103,762 3,652.6 339.2 4.8 +33%
19 Everett WA 111,276 3,485.9 266.9 5.4 +27%
20 Bellevue WA 151,520 3,479.4 139.9 0.7 +26%
21 Longview WA 37,944 3,391.8 216.1 2.6 +23%
22 Edmonds WA 42,659 3,260.7 260.2 2.3 +18%
23 Bremerton WA 46,079 3,248.8 434.0 4.3 +18%
24 Des Moines WA 31,694 3,145.7 296.6 3.2 +14%
25 Wenatchee WA 35,523 3,023.4 236.5 0.0 +10%
26 Redmond WA 82,746 2,870.2 130.5 0.0 +4%
27 Shoreline WA 62,234 2,744.5 212.1 1.6 +0%
28 Lacey WA 58,872 2,654.9 186.9 3.4 +-4%
29 Yakima WA 96,646 2,589.9 545.3 15.5 +-6%
30 Pasco WA 80,838 2,547.1 351.3 0.0 +-7%
31 Walla Walla WA 33,062 2,498.3 284.3 6.1 +-9%
32 Tumwater WA 27,617 2,274.0 195.5 0.0 +-17%
33 Richland WA 64,736 2,190.4 250.3 1.5 +-20%
34 Marysville WA 73,573 2,186.9 233.8 0.0 +-21%
35 Kirkland WA 90,687 2,073.1 60.7 1.1 +-25%
36 Mount Vernon WA 35,244 1,966.3 190.1 2.8 +-29%
37 Maple Valley WA 28,551 1,579.6 108.6 3.5 +-43%
38 Bothell WA 50,917 1,478.9 110.0 0.0 +-46%
39 Pullman WA 33,105 951.5 129.9 6.0 +-65%
40 Camas WA 27,525 781.1 47.2 0.0 +-72%
41 Lake Stevens WA 41,000 765.9 117.1 0.0 +-72%
42 Sammamish WA 64,358 567.1 28.0 0.0 +-79%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous city in Washington?

Tacoma, WA has the highest crime rate in Washington at 6,666.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024.

What makes a city dangerous?

High crime rates, particularly violent crime, indicate elevated risk. Cities on this list average a violent crime rate of 336 per 100K — 0.7x the national average of 473.

Is the crime rate getting worse?

Crime trends vary by city. Some cities on this list have seen decreasing rates in recent years while others have increased. Visit individual city pages for year-over-year trend data.

See Also

Safest cities in Washington Crime statistics by state Compare two cities

Understanding High Crime Rates

High crime rates often correlate with factors like poverty, unemployment, population density, and policing resources — not a city's inherent character. Many cities on this list have neighborhoods that are quite safe, while others face concentrated challenges in specific areas.

Crime rates also reflect reporting practices: cities with well-funded police departments may report more crimes than those with fewer resources.

Most Dangerous Cities by State

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