The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in Washington State

Statewide Violent Crime Trends

Washington ranks 2% below the national average in terms of violent crime and 51% above the national average when it comes to property crime. The most commonly seen property crime is larceny, which occurs at a rate of 1,725 per 100,000 Washington residents. Stunningly, Washington ranks 113.7% above the national average when it comes to vehicle theft. The good news is that Washington ranks 15.8% below the national average when it comes to murder.

Violent crime rates (per 100,000 residents)

Violent Crime in the Seattle-Tacoma Region

It may come as no surprise to many Washingtonians that the Sea-Tac area of the state dominates the list of most violent cities. Specifically, Tacoma and the neighboring cities of Fife and Ruston had the top three highest violent crime rates. Fife leads the way with a violent crime rate of 1,534 per 100,000 people. Tacoma had a violent crime rate of 1,243 per 100,000, and Ruston ranked third with a rate of 1,157 per 100,000. Nearby Lakewood is sixth on the list of cities with the highest violent crime rates.

Tacoma has long been a leader in violent crime in the state since the port makes it a natural hub for drugs and other illicit goods to enter the country. Gang violence and poverty also drive the trends in the region. It is a stark contrast to the massive wealth one would find when traveling the Interstate 5 corridor north toward Seattle. Yet, Seattle has a crime problem of its own.

Violent Crime in the City of Seattle

As you travel north from Tacoma, you’ll first come upon the city of Tukwila, which holds the fourth-worst spot in the rankings. It has a violent crime rate of 840 per 100,000 residents. Then, you'll hit the fifth-worst city in the rankings, which is Seattle. The city itself boasts a crime rate of 713 per 100,000.

Seattle is a city of contradictions. The area has accumulated considerable wealth as Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks and Boeing all have their headquarters in the area. At the same time, the area has considerable poverty, as Seattle is struggling with a homelessness epidemic. The Seattle Times reported that over 16,000 individuals experienced homelessness in 2024.¹ Although the link between homelessness and crime can be nuanced, it is reported that homeless individuals are more likely to be victims of crime,² which could impact the city’s crime rates. Seattle witnesses twice the number of violent crimes as Tacoma.

Violent Crime in Eastern Washington

Let’s look at the other side of the Cascade Mountains as eastern Washington has its own struggles with violent crime. The city of Spokane has a crime rate of 713 per 100,000, ranking just below Seattle. Spokane struggles with its own homeless population, witnessing a 54% increase from 2020 to 2022.³ Much like Seattle, unhoused people are more likely to become victims of crime as they often set up camp in areas already prone to crime.

The City of Yakima’s violent crime rate was the 16th-highest in the state, at 488 per 100,000 people. Yakima is a sprawling agricultural hub in the Yakima Valley that draws a large immigrant population. There are debates about whether or not undocumented immigrants are less likely to report crime out of fear of deportation.⁴ As such, the crime rate in Yakima could be much higher than stated.

The Safest Cities in Washington State

While one could find small mountain towns with little to no crime throughout Washington state, when comparing the safest cities, one must take into account populations of some reasonable size. That makes the cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie the safest spots in Washington state, with violent crime rates of 12 and 15, respectively, per 100,000. This entire area that resides near the top of Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade mountains recorded only three incidents of violent crime in 2023, with a combined population of a little over 21,000.

Nearby Sammamish boasts a population of over 65,000 and, yet, it only recorded 16 incidents of violent crime in 2023 for a violent crime rate of 25 per 100,000. Sammamish is home to some of the world’s richest tech elites as it is a mere nine miles from the Microsoft Corporation headquarters. There is indeed a correlation between the accumulation of wealth and the lack of violent crime in any given region. This further emphasizes that the radius around the Snoqualmie Mountain Pass may very well be the safest location in the entire state.

Property Crime in the State of Washington

There are some familiar names when it comes to the cities with the most property crime. The Tacoma region again dominates the top of the rankings. However, we start to see more variation among the top 10 as factors that drive violent crime are not always the same that drive property crime. Here we see cities in eastern Washington rivaling those of western Washington in some cases.

Property crime rates (per 100,000 residents)

Cities With the Highest Property Crime Rates in Washington State

The cities of Tukwila, Fife, and Ruston, which you’ll recognize from the top of the violent crime list, also have staggering rates of property crime. With a property crime rate of 17,956 per 100,000, Tukwila has nearly double the property crime rate of the second-place city of Fife. The city of Tacoma rounds out the top five with a property crime rate of 7,356 per 100,000.

This is where we begin to see some diversity in the rankings. Union Gap in eastern Washington comes in at number six with a property crime rate of 6,884. It is adjacent to Yakima and along the I-82 route one would take if one were heading to Tri-Cities. Further south along that same route, you’ll run into the city of Toppenish, which holds the seventh place ranking on the property crime list.

The city of Chehalis, located south of Olympia along the I-5 corridor, holds the ninth spot. Finally, Spokane makes another appearance as the 10th-ranked city in terms of property crime. The broader regional diversity in the top ten with regard to property crime versus violent crime is worthy of note. It would appear that poverty in smaller communities is a great predictor of property crime as opposed to violent crime.

Cities With the Lowest Property Crime Rates in Washington State

Sammamish (population 65,000-plus) stands out as exceptionally safe. It ranks seventh lowest in property crime with a rate of 649 per 100,000 residents. It's the only city that appears on both the low-violent crime and low-property crime lists, making it one of Washington's safest cities overall.

West Richland (population 18,000-plus) has the second-lowest property crime rate at 755 per 100,000. Many residents work at the nearby Columbia Generating Station nuclear plant or the Hanford Site, which produced plutonium for the first nuclear bomb.

Among cities with populations over 100,000, Spokane Valley has the lowest property crime rate. This is particularly notable because it borders Spokane, a city known for high crime rates.

A Summary of Violent/Property Crime in Washington State

Looking at crime statistics across Washington state, some clear patterns emerge:

Sammamish is one of the safest cities in Washington, with consistently low rates of property and violent crime.

In contrast, Tacoma and its surrounding communities frequently appear in the top five most dangerous places in the state, making the Tacoma region likely the least safe area.

Washington shows significant diversity not only in its geography but also in its crime rates from one location to another. The crime data speaks for itself, offering residents and visitors valuable information when making decisions about the safest places to live or visit within Washington state.