The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Washington

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Washington For 2024

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 10,900 experienced 1 murders in 2022, reflecting the 24th highest murder rate statewide.

In other words, if you’re looking to move to one of Tacoma’s best suburbs, steer clear of Fife.

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 highest violent crime rate in Washington, with residents facing 1 in 62 shot of being the victim of an attack in 2022. 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.

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 5 chance of being the victim of a property crime in 2022. That includes a whopping 895 car thefts and 321 burglaries.

Violent crime isn’t much better in Tukwila, the city with the 3highest 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.

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 2 murder in 2022 was enough to give the city the second highest murder rate in the state.

The burglary rate in Toppenish was also the third 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.

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 sixth highest burglary rate in Washington. Same goes for your car, what with the 6,942 car thefts recorded in 2022.

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.

Washington’s 2nd most populous city, Spokane, is also its sixth most dangerous. To be fair, Spokane is a big city with plenty of safe neighborhoods, it’s just that some areas still have a lot of work to do.

Residents of Spokane had a 1 in 17 chance of having their belongings stolen or damaged in 2022, so it’s a good idea to check you still have all your valuables after a day out at Riverfront Park.

There were also 1,541 violent crimes reported for the year, so do keep your guard up in Spokane. On the bright side, Spokane fell a few positions on this list from last year, so hopefully, things continue to improve.

Located on the southwestern edge of Tacoma, Lakewood comes in as Washington’s seventh most dangerous city.

There were 996 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 119 chance of being the victim of an assault, murder, rape, or robbery in 2022.

Vancouver, located in Clark County, is the eighth most dangerous place to live in the state. With a population of 193,273, Vancouver has experienced concerning crime statistics. The city reported 1,229 violent crimes. Additionally, property crimes reached 10,777, including 1,351 burglaries. These figures indicate a high crime rate and pose safety concerns for residents.

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.

Located in King County, Federal Way is a city that originated as a logging settlement in the early 20th century. Found between Seattle and Tacoma, it was officially incorporated in 1990. However, by 2024, Federal Way has earned a dubious distinction as the tenth most dangerous place to live in Washington.

The city has a high crime rate, with 549/100k instances of violent crimes and 5,251/100k cases of property crimes per capita. These unsettling statistics contribute to the city’s overall high crime index, making it a challenging place for its 97,094 residents to feel safe.

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