Washington Violent Crime Rates and Maps

Violent Crime per Capita in Washington

Violent crime covers assault, robbery, rape, and murder, offenses that threaten people directly. Nationally it is rarer than property crime but carries far heavier consequences. The map below shows the violent crime rate per 1,000 Washington residents.

 

Washington Map of Violent Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade
C
F
Other Crime Grade
D

$2.0 billion

Cost of Crime™ for Washington

In 2025, violent crime will cost $645 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Washington with the least violent crime and red marks the most, weighted by the type and severity of each offense. Violent crime concentrates where people gather after dark, near nightlife, bars, and transit, more than on residential streets. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read those hot spots.

The C grade reflects how often assault, robbery, rape, and murder occur in Washington against the average US state, where the rate is slightly higher than the norm. Washington sits in the 43rd percentile for violent-crime safety, ahead of 43% of states and behind 57%. The grade covers only Washington's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The violent crime rate in Washington is 4.044 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 182 in the west cities to 1 in 297 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Washington report the most violent crime, about 8,867 cases per year. The south part reports the fewest, around 976 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Washington

The tangible cost of violent crime in Washington is projected at $1,987,544,993 for 2025, about $247 per resident and $645 per household. That equals 0.5% of the median household income, and it counts only the bills that can be totaled: emergency care, lost wages, and the justice response. The larger cost, the harm to victims, comes later on this page. These tangible costs split into:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 44.2%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 41.4%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 14.3%

How Much Does Violent Crime Cost in Washington Compared to Other States?

Washington: $247
New Mexico: $479
Rhode Island: $114
USA: $258

The tangible cost of violent crime is $247 per resident each year in Washington, which is $11 less than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Washington:
  • In New Mexico, crime costs $479 per person, which is $232 more than in Washington.
  • In Rhode Island, crime costs $114 per person, which is $133 less than in Washington

2025 Projected Violent Crime Cost by Type

The table below breaks the violent-crime total into its four offenses for Washington, with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Washington
Cost per Washington Resident
Murder
$857.4 million
$107
Rape/Sexual Assault
$361.5 million
$45
Robbery
$214.1 million
$27
Assault
$554.5 million
$69
Total Cost of Violent Crime
$1,987,544,993
$247

The Human Cost of Violent Crime in Washington

Much of what violent crime costs never reaches a bill. Pain, trauma, and lost quality of life for victims and their families typically outweigh the medical and legal totals above. Research-based methods put a figure on that harm so it can be compared across places. By those methods, the human cost of violent crime in Washington totals $7,675,093,648 ($954 per resident). Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $9,662,638,641 ($1,201 per resident). This human toll is what sets violent crime apart from property crime in Washington, where the loss is mostly replaceable property. All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Violent Crime Maps

Violent crime rates are measured per resident, so places packed with visitors after dark read high even when few people live there. Bars, clubs, event venues, and transit hubs draw the crowds where assaults and robberies cluster. How strongly this shows on the map depends on the commercial base; the central part of the state has more retail establishments. A red block full of bars and venues does not mean the homes around it are dangerous.

Transit stations show the same effect: large moving crowds, few residents, so per-capita violent crime reads high. Major airports, of which Washington has 1, are the extreme case. Before judging a residential street, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total count of incidents, and note what draws crowds nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in Washington at ISP Reports.

Washington Violent Crime Breakdown

The table below shows which offenses feed the Violent Crime Grade above, each as crimes per 1,000 Washington residents in a standard year.

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
2.400
Robbery
0.8460
Rape
0.7411
Murder
0.0567
Total Violent Crime
4.044 (C)

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

Compared to surrounding states, the rate of violent crime in Washington is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for states close to Washington.

Nearby State
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
D-
C+
D-
A-
B
A+
C-
D+
C-
D
D
D-
C-
B
C
B+
A
A
C
D
D+
F
D-
F
C-
B-
C-
B-
C
C+

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

Washington is similar versus other states of the same size for violent crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
A
A-
A-
C-
D+
D+
C+
B+
B+
D
D
D
A
A+
A+
A+
A
A
F
F
F
A-
C
C
C-
C-
C-
C-
B-
B-

Considering only the violent crime rate, Washington is as safe as the national average.

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.