The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Pierce County, WA: Crime Maps and Statistics

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D+
Property Crime Grade	F
Other Crime Grade	D-

Which crimes are included?

$654.1 million

Cost of Crime™ for Pierce County, WA

In 2025, crime will cost $1,809 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Pierce County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Pierce County, WA Safe?

The D- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Pierce County's combined rate is much higher than the norm. Pierce County sits in the 8th percentile, ahead of 8% of counties and behind 92%. The grade covers only Pierce County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Pierce County is 55.01 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 12 in the west areas to 1 in 34 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Pierce County, WA report the most crime, about 10,704 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 1,781 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Pierce County, WA

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Pierce County for 2025 is $654,114,053, about $671 per resident and $1,809 per household. That equals 1.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.4%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 31.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Pierce County Compared to Other Counties?

Pierce County, WA:	$671
King County, WA:	$819
Benton County, WA:	$391
Washington:	$610
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Pierce County is $671 per year, which is $207 more than the national average and $61 more than Washington's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Pierce County:

In King County, WA, crime costs $819 per person, which is $148 more than in Pierce County.
In Benton County, WA, crime costs $391 per person, which is $280 less than in Pierce County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Pierce County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Pierce County	Cost per Pierce County Resident
Murder	$55.5 million	$57
Rape/Sexual Assault	$44.5 million	$46
Robbery	$29.9 million	$31
Assault	$93.8 million	$96
Kidnapping	$13.6 million	$14
Vehicle Theft	$167.9 million	$172
Burglary	$45.8 million	$47
Theft	$87.0 million	$89
Arson	$4.16 million	$4
Vandalism	$91.0 million	$93
Animal Cruelty	$551,034	$1
Drug Crimes	$10.9 million	$11
Identity Theft	$9.47 million	$10
Total Cost of Crime	$654,114,053	$671

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Pierce County, WA

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Pierce County totals $622,508,298 ($639 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,276,622,351 ($1,310 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The northwest part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Pierce County has 119, do the same, and of Pierce County's 974,160 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Pierce County, WA at ISP Reports.

Pierce County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Pierce County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.354
Robbery	0.9770
Rape	0.7526
Murder	0.0303
Total Violent Crime	5.114 (D+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	17.24
Vehicle Theft	11.13
Burglary	5.182
Arson	0.1769
Total Property Crime	33.73 (F)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.2300
Drug Crimes	1.515
Vandalism	13.08
Identity Theft	1.256
Animal Cruelty	0.0765
Total "Other" Rate	16.16 (D-)

Individual Pierce County Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Pierce County is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Pierce County.

Nearby County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Thurston County, WA	D+	B-	D-
King County, WA	F	C-	F
Mason County, WA	C-	D+	C-
Kitsap County, WA	D-	C+	D-
Lewis County, WA	C-	C+	D+
Grays Harbor County, WA	F	D	F
Kittitas County, WA	D	B	D-
Chelan County, WA	D	C+	D-
Douglas County, WA	C-	B	D+
Grant County, WA	D	C+	D-

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Pierce County is higher versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Anne Arundel County, MD	B-	B	B
Arlington County, VA	B-	A-	A-
Hawaii County, HI	D+	B-	B-
Muscogee County, GA	C	C-	C-
Collier County, FL	A+	A+	A+
Collin County, TX	C+	B	B
Arapahoe County, CO	D-	D+	D+
Franklin County, OH	C-	B+	B+
Hays County, TX	B+	B+	B+
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT	B	A+	A+

Considering only the crime rate, Pierce County is less safe than the Washington state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Pierce County, WA average SchoolGrade of C, with 35% actual proficiency versus 35% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Pierce County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.