The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Prairie Ridge, WA
Prairie Ridge is an unincorporated community of 13,100 in Pierce County, about 35 miles south of downtown Seattle · Updated November 2026
Is Prairie Ridge, WA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Prairie Ridge has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 61% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 883 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
61% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Prairie Ridge as a whole, and 39% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Prairie Ridge scores 883.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Prairie Ridge, WA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Prairie Ridge, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Prairie Ridge
Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Prairie Ridge, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 3.4 thefts and 2.5 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Prairie Ridge
Every part of Prairie Ridge where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Prairie Ridge run from A+ to A-; 95% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Prairie Ridge, the east side has the least crime and the south side the most.
Crime rates and types in Prairie Ridge
CrimeGrade™ estimates Prairie Ridge has about 13 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 65% less than the US as a whole and 71% less than Washington.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in Prairie Ridge is assault, about 31% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How Prairie Ridge compares with nearby cities
Prairie Ridge has less crime than 2 of its 4 nearest cities; only McMillin and Buckley have less.
Two things set Prairie Ridge apart: it has 2 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 0.9 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, and theft runs low here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.2 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.0.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft and assault. 99% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.2% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 86% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Prairie Ridge: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 81% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Prairie Ridge
Crime costs Prairie Ridge about $458 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 62% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $6.4 million a year, or $488 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$240,000
$18
Rape
$87,000
$7
Robbery
$22,000
$2
Assault
$780,000
$60
Burglary
$160,000
$13
Theft
$230,000
$18
Vehicle theft
$260,000
$20
Arson
$13,000
$1
Vandalism
$240,000
$19
Total
$2.0 million
$156
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Prairie Ridge means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Prairie Ridge is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Prairie Ridge, WA average a SchoolGrade of A-: 55% of students test proficient, against 45% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Prairie Ridge on SchoolGrade
