You not only have to worry about killer snakes, killer cacti, and killer heat in Arizona, you now have to worry about its dangerous cities.
Lucky for you, we have the top 10 most dangerous cities in Arizona broken down for you. Why did we produce this list? Well, we’re trying to help one navigate these dangerous cities when trying to make an informed decision on what city they should call home. To compile our list, we looked at violent crimes and property crimes in cities with a population of 5,000. That left us with 48 cities.
Let’s be real, we’re not talking about snowbird drivers driving too slow kind of danger. The type of danger we’re talking about gets people on the news. Folks, the cities that made our list have robberies happening in broad daylight, car jackings, and daily shootings. There are neighborhoods in these cities that you shouldn’t drive thru, ever, and there are areas that you definitely shouldn’t be in after dark. We’re not saying that there aren’t little pockets of goodness in these cities. There are neighborhoods and shopping centers in these Arizona cities like Phoenix and Mesa that are not ALL bad. We do, however, recommend that you spend some time studying them before you make a move.
It’s not entirely Arizona’s fault. They are the 14th largest state in terms of population. As with most situations, there’s bound to be problems with that many people. And it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t mention that there are good people and organizations in these cities trying to make a difference. To see where these Arizona cities with more issues than a magazine are located, take a look below at our most dangerous cities in The Grand Canyon State for 2020.
What are the circumstances that make these Arizona cities this way? Maybe not enough jobs, low wages, drugs, gangs; and in Arizona’s case, higher than normal temps making people act crazy?
We’re not entirely sure. But one thing we are sure about is the number one most dangerous city in Arizona for 2020 is Globe.
The Arizona cities on our most dangerous list could definitely use some some good luck. So, if you’re looking to take a gamble, or you’re just curious to see if your city made the list, take a look at our list below. And if you don’t see your city there, head to the bottom.
Learn more about the safest places in Arizona.
If you’re looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.
For more Arizona reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Arizona
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In Arizona
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Arizona
Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Arizona
The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Arizona For 2020
Located in south-central Arizona, Globe was founded as a mining camp. Today it’s the most dangerous city in the state.
Unlike other cities on the list, Globe has seen a recent boom in crime, with violent crime going up from 2017-2018, and property crime also going up.
Watch your wallet in Globe, because there’s a 1 in 13.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime while you’re there.
While Tolleson’s motto is “honoring our past, positioning our future,” its 2nd place spot on this list puts a grim cloud over its future prospects.
It’s 1st in property crime, with residents facing a 1 in 10.9 chance.
The good news for the city’s future is that violent crime has fallen in recent years.
Page’s motto is “the center of Canyon County,” but the city is also the center of the 3rd highest danger level in Arizona.
To give you an idea just how much more dangerous South Tucson is than anywhere else, though, consider that Page, as the 3rd most dangerous, has a 3 times lower rate of violent crime and half the rate of property crime.
While that still leaves a 1 in 95 chance of being the victim of a violent crime, the encouraging news is that this rate has fallen by 44% from 2017-2018, and property crime also fell some in the same time period.
Also located in Navajo County, Winslow has the honor of being a city referenced in the Eagles song “Take it Easy.”
Unfortunately, it’s also the 6th most dangerous city in Arizona, with residents 1 in 98 odds of being the victim of a violent crime.
The good news is that violent crime has been dropping steadily, and property crime is down 33% in the last 2 year period that data is available.
Tucson’s 5th place ranking on this list isn’t much of a surprise — it’s the 2nd biggest city in Arizona.
Tucson ranked 4th for property crime, 2018’s numbers reflect a 1 in 20.2 chance of being the victim of one.
Tucson’s slowly falling violent crime statistics are much worse than the state average coming in at 5th place.
idk ive lived here 7yrs. i exp everything you would in a typical life
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food and the people………………………………
Tempe is slightly less dangerous than some of the others on the list, but it is still a very uncomfortable place to live if you cherish safety. While the number of robberies here has gone down lately, violent crimes have gone up. Statistically, 1 out of 206 people was attacked in 2018.
There was alot to do here in Tempe. Parks the YMCA and amusement parks nearby. It’s a nice beautiful fun city. There are alot of stores nearby and places to go shopping. It’s hard to get bored because there is so much to do.
Castles and coasters is a great amusement park to go to. Everything is close by. People are very friendly. There is also beautiful scenery.
Located in Navajo County, Show Low’s unusual name is the result of a marathon poker game with no less than 100,000 acres at stake.
It has the 5th place position on this list, and 3rd worst violent crime statistics in the state.
And the 1 in 85 chance of being the victim of a violent crime isn’t getting any better — from 2017-2018, the amount of violent crime rose by 35%.
Phoenix ranks as the 8th most dangerous city in Arizona because it has a marginally higher rate of violent crime.
Residents of Phoenix had a 1 in 136 chance of being the victim of a rape, murder, or assault in 2018, and a 1 in 28.6 chance of being the victim of theft or arson.
The crime is pretty normal for a city
The heat is unbearable in the Summer. It is nice in the Winter. People there are nice as well.
Glendale is only 9 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, making it the closest city on this list to Arizona’s capital.
While there’s still a 1 in 24.5 chance of being the victim of a property crime in Glendale, their crime statistics in both categories have been falling steadily.
We looked all around the Phoenix area before selecting Glendale. Close proximity to medical help was a must, as was easy access to shopping, entertainment and outdoor activities. Although we no longer have children in school, good schools were also a priority. To our surprise the church we were interested in, happens to almost be across the street. Having the feeling of space and being near the mountains was important to us as well, during our search. Our neighbors are wonderful and we have a lovely mountain view from our back patio. A quick drive/walk gets one to hiking and other outdoor activities. At this time, it does not feel as congested as other parts of the Phoenix area. City water was also a priority as some of the builders we looked at are subsidizing water costs. Later on that could become an expensive proposition. When asked what is not to like, I am still thinking about it and haven’t come up with anything.
Our neighborhood nests up to a mountain and there is this wonderful feeling of openness. Homes and subdivisions around us are all well maintained and attractive. It seems all around there are beautiful views in every direction. On the downside, traffic here is crazy near the 101 access. At first we thought all of the wild, fast and rude drivers were in some of the more well to do areas, where we had vacationed, but it turns out they are out in force everywhere. At least AZ has tried to plan ahead for roads/routes to try to handle the traffic. Some of the large cities in the Midwest pale in comparison on that issue.
Kingman ranks as the 10th most dangerous city in Arizona. It ranks 15th for violent crime and 8th for property crime (both per capita).
Overall, you had about a 1 in 23.4 chance of being the victim of crime in 2018.
How Is Your Town In ?
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Arizona for 2020?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2018 data, specifically the 2018 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2020.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 48 cities in Arizona.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 48 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Arizona — Globe. Any ties went to the smaller city. You can download the data here.
Read on for a detailed look at the 10 most dangerous cities in Arizona.
Locking It All Up In Arizona
The latest FBI crime data shows that Globe ranks as the most dangerous city in Arizona for 2020.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Globe and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
If you’re curious enough, here are the safest cities in Arizona:
- Gilbert (Pop. 247,463)
- Thatcher (Pop. 5,048)
- Paradise Valley (Pop. 14,519)
For more Arizona reading, check out:
Page Motto correction.. “You don’t lose your girlfriend, you lose your turn.” Years ago, you could buy bumper stickers and magnets that said that.
Theft is probably out highest crime in the area. We have out fair share of runaways, more rape and molestation then reported because of corruption in police and courts. Shit hole.
This is a very lame ‘article’ and roadsnacks is a waste of time and downright stupid.
I dont know cities, only counties. How safe is Cochise county? What about Navajo County?
Casa Grande isn’t on this list, yet has over 50,000 people
Ive lived in glendale over 17yrs and it use to be very people friendly and clean turned to south phx all the bums and money bummers yeah its dangerous moved away from glendale awhile not what it usd to be trashy people walking down the road south phx is just as trashy as glendale