The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Oregon For 2022

Located along Snake River on the border of Idaho, Ontario ranks as the most dangerous city in Oregon.

Ontario saw a increase in violent crime and a increase in property crime for last couple of years, which explains why it moved several spots on the list for 2022.

Ontario residents had a 1 in 152 chance of being the victim of a violent crime and a 1 in 17 chance of having their stuff stolen or vandalized over 2020.

Included in those numbers is the fifth highest murder rate, 25th highest rate of rape cases, and tenth highest rate of burglaries in Oregon.

A coastal city located in the northwestern part of Oregon, Warrenton comes in as the state's second least safe place.

Warrenton jumped up a few spots on this list from last year, and that's mostly because of a recent rise in property crime. Warrenton had the highest property crime rate in Oregon, with residents facing a 1 in 15 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged over 2020.

This means you should probably always lock your car, even if you're just parked next to your campsite at Fort Stevens State Park.

On the bright side, Warrenton's violent crime numbers fell slightly, so there's hope for change here.

Another coastal city, Coos Bay also saw a spike in crime over the past year. The city ranked as the fifth highest worst in both violent and property crime rates, with some alarming numbers in each category.

Like having the seventh highest rate of rape cases in Oregon by a pretty significant margin. And recording a burglary about every other day, on average, which is enough for the highest burglary rate statewide as well.

At least residents can find a bit of sanctuary at Shore Acres State Park -- just bring a friend if you think you'll be out after dark.

We all know Portland has a lot of avant-garde hipsters and various disciples of American counter-culture, but the biggest city in Oregon also has the fourth worst crime numbers in the state.

With all the gardens and parks around, you might think Portland's a peaceful place, but anyone who watches the news knows otherwise.

Portland is the fourth most violent place in Oregon, with about ten violent crimes going down each day, on average. Property crime isn't much better, considering the 6,370 stolen cars and 3,759 burglaries recorded in 2020.

All of which is definitely not cool.

Geographically speaking, Lincoln City is a nice spot. Built along the Pacific coast in the northern half of the state, a traveler can enjoy beaches and beautiful vistas. Just stay vigilant as you check out the ocean. The town also represents the number 5 most dangerous spot in Oregon -- and not from people getting swept away by the tide. Rather, the locals themselves represent the biggest risk.

Lincoln City has a serious issue with violence. In a town with 9,275 residents, the area reported 29 assaults and 11 rapes over the course of a year.

Medford gets its name from a town in Massachusetts, located about 3,000 miles across the country. Built in the southern part of the state, near the California border, this Medford sits along I-5 -- the main north-south artery through the state.

The city has always been something of a stopover. It was originally a railroad town. Maybe some of that history lingers on -- at least the part related to railroad bandits. The residents endure a surprisingly high crime rate, including large numbers of larcenies and robberies.

Located about an hour south of Eugene, Roseburg ranks as Oregon's seventh most dangerous place to call home. Despite Roseburg's #7 position on this list, it actually has the third highest overall crime rate in Oregon.

How's that happen? Well, when property crime is such that 1 in 17 residents is the victim of a theft or vandalization over the course of a year, it inflates your overall crime numbers.

And it's not like it's just a few picked pockets and broken windows going down in Roseburg either. The city also reported the 13th highest rate of rape cases in Oregon.

Eugene has the highest number of homeless people per capita in America, so it's not exactly shocking that the city has to deal with high crime rates as well.

It's just good protocol to keep a close eye on your stuff when you're walking along the Willamette River Trail, or you might join the 6,980 victims of property crime Eugene had in 2020.

Additionally, Eugene averaged one aggravated assault each day, so if you're not trying to get some free boxing lessons, do your best to avoid rowdy pugilists here.

Welcome to Astoria, Oregon's hub of violent crime. A port city located just east of Warrenton, Astoria recorded the second highest violent crime rate in Oregon for data year 2020.

Residents had a 1 in 167 shot of being the victim of a violent attack. So look out for criminals when you're moseying down the Astoria Riverwalk, or you could join that unfortunate group.

Astoria also had the highest rate of rape cases and 12th highest burglary rate statewide -- not statistics you want to be associated with your city.

Turns out that Oregon's capital city is also the tenth most dangerous place in the state.

Salem might be one place where wearing a wallet chain is actually a good idea, seeing as there were 4,911 larcenies in 2020. And while violent crime has been decreasing in Salem, property crime went up from last year.

Still, watch your back in any poorly lit areas of Salem's parks of night -- it's still the 11th most violent place in Oregon, after all.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Oregon FAQs

Is Oregon a dangerous state?

No, Oregon is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #30 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in oregon ranks 36th highest in the United States -- 24.74% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Beaver State ranks seventh highest in the United States -- 35.79% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Portland, OR a dangerous city?

Yes, Portland is a dangerous city. Portland ranks as the #33 most dangerous out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Portland might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Homestead is the safest in Portland, while Sunderland is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Portland ranks 136th highest in America -- 4.78% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 22nd highest in the United States -- 78.44% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.