The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Surprise, AZ: Crime Maps and Statistics

A-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B+
Property Crime Grade	B
Other Crime Grade	A-

Which crimes are included?

$41.8 million

Cost of Crime™ for Surprise, AZ

In 2025, crime will cost $723 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Surprise 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 Surprise, AZ Safe?

The A- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Surprise's combined rate is lower than the norm. Surprise sits in the 79th percentile, ahead of 79% of cities and behind 21%. The grade covers only Surprise's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Surprise is 15.71 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the west part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 37 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 100 in the west.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the east parts of Surprise, AZ report the most crime, about 683 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 159 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Surprise, AZ

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Surprise for 2025 is $41,758,705, about $252 per resident and $723 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Surprise Compared to Other Cities?

Surprise, AZ:	$252
Pinon, AZ:	$975
Saddlebrooke, AZ:	$203
Arizona:	$452
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Surprise is $252 per year, which is $212 less than the national average and $200 less than Arizona's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Surprise:

In Pinon, AZ, crime costs $975 per person, which is $722 more than in Surprise.
In Saddlebrooke, AZ, crime costs $203 per person, which is $49 less than in Surprise

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Surprise	Cost per Surprise Resident
Murder	$11.8 million	$71
Rape/Sexual Assault	$4.49 million	$27
Robbery	$1.80 million	$11
Assault	$5.49 million	$33
Kidnapping	$1.06 million	$6
Vehicle Theft	$4.24 million	$26
Burglary	$1.69 million	$10
Theft	$5.46 million	$33
Arson	$450,136	$3
Vandalism	$1.80 million	$11
Animal Cruelty	$75,985	$0
Drug Crimes	$2.98 million	$18
Identity Theft	$432,325	$3
Total Cost of Crime	$41,758,705	$252

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Surprise, AZ

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 Surprise totals $102,009,511 ($616 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $143,768,216 ($869 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 east part of the city 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 Surprise has 19, do the same, and of Surprise's 165,490 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 Surprise, AZ at ISP Reports.

Surprise 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 Surprise residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.154
Robbery	0.3463
Rape	0.4476
Murder	0.0379
Total Violent Crime	1.986 (B+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	6.375
Vehicle Theft	1.655
Burglary	1.123
Arson	0.1126
Total Property Crime	9.266 (B)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1052
Drug Crimes	2.433
Vandalism	1.521
Identity Theft	0.3375
Animal Cruelty	0.0621
Total "Other" Rate	4.459 (A-)

Individual Surprise Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Surprise is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Surprise.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Sun City West, AZ	C+	B	C-
El Mirage, AZ	B	B-	C+
Waddell, AZ	A+	A-	A+
Youngtown, AZ	C-	C-	D+
Luke Afb, AZ	D	F	D-
Sun City, AZ	C+	C-	C
Litchfield Park, AZ	A	A-	A
Peoria, AZ	B	B	B-
Wittmann, AZ	A-	C	A-
Glendale, AZ	C-	C-	D+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Surprise is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Erie, PA	C-	D-	D-
Elizabeth, NJ	B	C+	C+
Elk Grove, CA	C+	D+	D+
Durham, NC	D-	D	D
Dothan, AL	C-	D+	D+
Douglasville, GA	C+	C+	C+
Elkhart, IN	B-	D+	D+
East Los Angeles, CA	C	D+	D+
El Cajon, CA	D+	D	D
Downey, CA	C-	D	D

Considering only the crime rate, Surprise is safer than the Arizona state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Surprise, AZ average SchoolGrade of C+, with 39% actual proficiency versus 41% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Surprise 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.