The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in University Place, WA
University Place is a city of 35,800 in Pierce County, about 30 miles south of downtown Seattle · Updated November 2026
Is University Place, WA safe?
With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+, University Place has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 66% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A- against B-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within University Place run from A to D, so check the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 732 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
34% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than University Place as a whole, and 66% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. University Place scores 732.
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 University Place, WA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in University Place, 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 University Place
Car thefts happen in parking lots and garages far more often than nationally. In University Place, 53% of reported car thefts happen in parking lots and garages, against 23% nationally.
Simple assault runs low. University Place has 3.2 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 9.7.
The safest and least safe parts of University Place
Most of University Place grades well: 96% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 2% in areas graded D or F. Grades across University Place run from A to D; 8% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
96%
A or B 96%C 2%D or F 2%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within University Place, the southwest side has the least crime and the southeast side the most.
Is crime going up in University Place?
Reported violent crime in University Place peaked in 2020 and has fallen 30% since, back near its 2019 level. Property crime is up 19% from 2019. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.6 to 2.4 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 16 to 19 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 26% and property crime fell 28%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
University PlaceUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves University Place. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, University Place
Violent, US
Property, University Place
Property, US
2016
-13%
+4%
+60%
+15%
2017
-14%
+4%
+61%
+12%
2018
-15%
+0%
+32%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
+30%
+4%
+63%
-8%
2021
-27%
+6%
+42%
-10%
2022
-3%
+5%
+84%
-6%
2023
+24%
+2%
+66%
-7%
2024
-9%
-4%
+19%
-15%
Crime rates and types in University Place
CrimeGrade™ estimates University Place has about 33 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 12% less than the US as a whole and 28% 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.
Theft is the most common crime in University Place, about 43% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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.
Where and when crime happens in University Place
University Place has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In University Place, 44% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 51% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (46%)
Night (midnight to 6 am)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (53%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (53%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (72%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How University Place compares with nearby cities
University Place has less crime than 5 of its 9 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from University Place. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, University Place has more crime than 77% of them.
Two things set University Place apart: it has 5.3 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 18 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.5.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 91% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.18 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 89% 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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 55% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 82% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 78% 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 University Place: D+ (22 of 100).7 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 76% 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 University Place
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs University Place about $851 a year per household, 29% 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 $33 million a year, or $913 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.4 million
$38
Rape
$680,000
$19
Robbery
$350,000
$10
Assault
$2.7 million
$76
Burglary
$550,000
$15
Theft
$2.6 million
$72
Vehicle theft
$2.1 million
$58
Arson
$63,000
$2
Vandalism
$1.9 million
$52
Total
$12 million
$342
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 University Place 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.
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 University Place, WA average a SchoolGrade of C+: 46% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in University Place on SchoolGrade
