The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon For 2022


We used data and science to identify the most dangerous cities in the Beaver State for 2022.

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No, it's not all peace, love, and harmony in The Beaver State. RoadSnacks knows of 281 violent crimes and 2,968 property crimes that says so.

Do you think that you live in one of the most dangerous cities in Oregon? Now, before you lock your doors and grab your taser, we suggest you take a look at RoadSnacks' list of the most dangerous places in Oregon for 2022, there might be some that surprise you.

How'd we do it? We consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 67 cities. We looked at the FBI's latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents. We discovered that Oregon's violent and property crime numbers, while not the worst in the country, could be better.

If you asked most Oregonians, they would say that their little corner of this Pacific Northwest state is the best, but that's not the case for the people who live in Oregon's most dangerous places. The residents in these places are not only witnessing high crime, they are dealing with unemployment, low wages, and lack of rehabilitation programs.

And while Oregon might not be one of the top ten most dangerous states in the country, the state's most dangerous places do need some work. Maybe more police? Security cameras? Drug programs? We're not entirely sure. One thing that we are sure about, however, is that you should take a look below at the list of Oregon's most dangerous places before you make any life changing decisions.

The Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon For 2022

  1. Ontario
  2. Warrenton
  3. Coos Bay
  4. Portland
  5. Lincoln City
  6. Medford
  7. Roseburg
  8. Eugene
  9. Astoria
  10. Salem

If you guessed that most of the state's problems are centralized around most of Oregon's largest cities, Portland and Salem, you guessed right. Oregon's biggest cities can't catch a break. Surprisingly, however, the most dangerous place in Oregon doesn't even have 10,000 residents.

So, where is Oregon's most dangerous place? The most dangerous place in Oregon would be, Ontario.

To see how your city faired, take a look at the list below; and if you don't find what you're looking for there, head to the bottom.

Learn more about the safest places in Oregon.

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 Oregon reading, check out:

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.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,952
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 657 (Most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,788 (Third most dangerous)
More on Ontario:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Ontario, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,823
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 463 (Eighth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,405 (Most dangerous)
More on Warrenton:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Warrenton, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 16,403
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 512 (Fifth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,779 (Fourth most dangerous)
More on Coos Bay:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Coos Bay, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 662,941
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 522 (Fourth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,738 (Fifth most dangerous)
More on Portland:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Portland, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,275
Rank Last Year: -
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 485 (Sixth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,935 (Ninth most dangerous)
More on Lincoln City:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Lincoln City, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 84,016
Rank Last Year: -
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 461 (Ninth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,302 (Sixth most dangerous)
More on Medford:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Medford, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 23,551
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 331 (15th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,872 (Second most dangerous)
More on Roseburg:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Roseburg, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 174,513
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 390 (12th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,999 (Eighth most dangerous)
More on Eugene:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Eugene, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,076
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 595 (Second most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,156 (19th most dangerous)
More on Astoria:  | Cost Of Living

Astoria, OR

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.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 176,632
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 3)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 395 (11th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 3,792 (11th most dangerous)
More on Salem:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Salem, OR

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous cities in Oregon for 2022?

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 2020 data, specifically the 2020 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2022.

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 Oregon cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 67 cities in Oregon.

We then ranked each city from 1 to 67 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 Oregon -- Ontario. Any ties went to the smaller city. You can download the data here.

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.

Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Oregon

Most Dangerous Cities In Oregon Graph

Click To Enlarge

Summary: Locking It All Up In Oregon

So what is the most dangerous city in Oregon? After analyzing 67 cities in Oregon, Ontario takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Oregon based on the most recently reported FBI data -- 2020.

The latest FBI crime data shows that Ontario ranks as the most dangerous city in Oregon for 2022.

We want to point out again that there's still safes places in Ontario and that this isn't a comment on the people that live there. So please don't beat us up.

If you guessed that most of the state's problems are centralized around most of Oregon's largest cities, Portland and Salem, you guessed right. Oregon's biggest cities can't catch a break. Surprisingly, however, the most dangerous place in Oregon doesn't even have 10,000 residents.

So, where is Oregon's most dangerous place? The most dangerous place in Oregon would be, Ontario.

To see how your city faired, take a look at the list below; and if you don't find what you're looking for there, head to the bottom.

Learn more about the safest places in Oregon.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.

Here are the safest cities in Oregon:

  1. Lebanon (Pop. 17,635)
  2. Molalla (Pop. 9,351)
  3. Milwaukie (Pop. 21,040)
  4. Talent (Pop. 6,671)
  5. Lake Oswego (Pop. 40,171)
  6. Independence (Pop. 10,477)
  7. Philomath (Pop. 5,805)
  8. Sherwood (Pop. 20,052)
  9. Monmouth (Pop. 10,708)
  10. West Linn (Pop. 26,916)

For more Oregon reading, check out:

Crime By City In Oregon

Rank City Population Violent Crimes Per Capita Property Crimes Per Capita
1 Ontario 10,952 657 5,788
2 Warrenton 5,823 463 6,405
3 Coos Bay 16,403 512 4,779
4 Portland 662,941 522 4,738
5 Lincoln City 9,275 485 3,935
6 Medford 84,016 461 4,302
7 Roseburg 23,551 331 5,872
8 Eugene 174,513 390 3,999
9 Astoria 10,076 595 3,156
10 Salem 176,632 395 3,792
11 Klamath Falls 22,693 594 2,952
12 The Dalles 15,849 302 3,722
13 Woodburn 26,521 328 3,287
14 Gresham 109,767 464 2,804
15 Grants Pass 38,420 346 3,019
16 Baker City 9,808 295 3,548
17 Tillamook 5,392 241 3,857
18 Redmond 33,198 265 3,177
19 Springfield 63,666 304 2,764
20 Sweet Home 10,099 237 3,247
21 Cornelius 12,925 410 2,104
22 Seaside 6,938 331 1,989
23 Pendleton 16,804 220 3,177
24 Sutherlin 8,223 255 2,493
25 Newport 10,950 237 2,757
26 Winston 5,528 235 2,623
27 McMinnville 35,040 271 2,231
28 Stayton 8,364 215 2,905
29 Madras 7,140 140 4,103
30 Hood River 7,863 152 3,522
31 Tualatin 28,030 228 2,590
32 Junction City 6,333 252 2,115
33 Prineville 10,919 302 1,813
34 Cottage Grove 10,556 284 1,733
35 Central Point 19,032 262 1,854
36 Beaverton 100,085 234 2,195
37 Brookings 6,495 323 1,478
38 Hermiston 17,896 206 2,430
39 Oregon City 37,892 300 1,564
40 Tigard 56,377 189 2,610
41 North Bend 9,778 143 2,873
42 Ashland 21,419 191 2,381
43 Albany 55,926 148 2,762
44 Hillsboro 111,146 231 1,931
45 Forest Grove 26,065 214 2,018
46 Gladstone 12,418 225 1,844
47 Dallas 17,265 185 2,206
48 St. Helens 13,818 253 1,382
49 La Grande 13,674 146 2,362
50 Milton-Freewater 7,075 212 1,625

How Is Your Town In ?

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our ninth time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Oregon and is updated for 2022.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.