Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Washington?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Washington with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 57 cities in the Evergreen State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
What city has the highest murder rate in Washington? The city with the highest murder rate in Washington is Union Gap with 46.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Washington with highest number of murders? The city in Washington with the highest number of murders is Seattle with 54 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Washington ranked. There were ‘only’ 57 cities in Washington where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 64 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Evergreen State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Washington For 2024
/10
Population: 6,514
Murders: 3 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 46.1 (Most)
More on Union Gap: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,717
Murders: 2 (29th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.9 (2nd Most)
More on Toppenish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,918
Murders: 2 (29th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.4 (3rd Most)
More on Hoquiam: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 10,187
Murders: 2 (29th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.6 (4th Most)
More on Burlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 15,816
Murders: 3 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.0 (5th Most)
More on Ferndale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 219,027
Murders: 41 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.7 (6th Most)
More on Tacoma: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 11,102
Murders: 2 (29th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.0 (7th Most)
More on Shelton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,050
Murders: 1 (48th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.5 (9th Most)
More on Blaine: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 12,723
Murders: 2 (29th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.7 (10th Most)
More on Kelso: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Washington
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Washington for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 57 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Union Gap. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Washington. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Washington For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Washington with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Washington are Union Gap, Toppenish, Hoquiam, Burlington, Ferndale, Tacoma, Shelton, Buckley, Blaine, and Kelso.
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Washington
- Fastest Growing Cities In Washington
- Safest Places In Washington
- Best Cities For Singles In Washington
- Worst Places To Live In Washington
Murder Rates By City In Washington
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Union Gap, WA | 6514 | 3 | 46.05 |
| 2 | Toppenish, WA | 8717 | 2 | 22.94 |
| 3 | Hoquiam, WA | 8918 | 2 | 22.43 |
| 4 | Burlington, WA | 10187 | 2 | 19.63 |
| 5 | Ferndale, WA | 15816 | 3 | 18.97 |
| 6 | Tacoma, WA | 219027 | 41 | 18.72 |
| 7 | Shelton, WA | 11102 | 2 | 18.01 |
| 8 | Buckley, WA | 5982 | 1 | 16.72 |
| 9 | Blaine, WA | 6050 | 1 | 16.53 |
| 10 | Kelso, WA | 12723 | 2 | 15.72 |
| 11 | Auburn, WA | 84279 | 13 | 15.42 |
| 12 | Steilacoom, WA | 6690 | 1 | 14.95 |
| 13 | Tukwila, WA | 21473 | 3 | 13.97 |
| 14 | Yakima, WA | 96267 | 12 | 12.47 |
| 15 | Quincy, WA | 8413 | 1 | 11.89 |
| 16 | Lynnwood, WA | 42764 | 5 | 11.69 |
| 17 | Everett, WA | 110694 | 12 | 10.84 |
| 18 | Centralia, WA | 18993 | 2 | 10.53 |
| 19 | Ellensburg, WA | 19822 | 2 | 10.09 |
| 20 | Kennewick, WA | 85058 | 8 | 9.41 |
| 21 | Sumner, WA | 10681 | 1 | 9.36 |
| 22 | Airway Heights, WA | 10803 | 1 | 9.26 |
| 23 | Des Moines, WA | 32541 | 3 | 9.22 |
| 24 | Fife, WA | 10900 | 1 | 9.17 |
| 25 | Federal Way, WA | 97094 | 8 | 8.24 |
| 26 | Mercer Island, WA | 25121 | 2 | 7.96 |
| 27 | Richland, WA | 63081 | 5 | 7.93 |
| 28 | Spokane, WA | 229292 | 18 | 7.85 |
| 29 | Moses Lake, WA | 25709 | 2 | 7.78 |
| 30 | Seattle, WA | 729691 | 54 | 7.4 |
| 31 | Vancouver, WA | 193273 | 14 | 7.24 |
| 32 | Kent, WA | 133066 | 9 | 6.76 |
| 33 | Renton, WA | 103619 | 7 | 6.76 |
| 34 | SeaTac, WA | 30203 | 2 | 6.62 |
| 35 | Lakewood, WA | 63044 | 4 | 6.34 |
| 36 | Sunnyside, WA | 16300 | 1 | 6.13 |
| 37 | Walla Walla, WA | 33899 | 2 | 5.9 |
| 38 | Wenatchee, WA | 35462 | 2 | 5.64 |
| 39 | Anacortes, WA | 17990 | 1 | 5.56 |
| 40 | Port Angeles, WA | 20290 | 1 | 4.93 |
| 41 | Mill Creek, WA | 20925 | 1 | 4.78 |
| 42 | Mountlake Terrace, WA | 21589 | 1 | 4.63 |
| 43 | Burien, WA | 50159 | 2 | 3.99 |
| 44 | Lacey, WA | 55101 | 2 | 3.63 |
| 45 | Olympia, WA | 56214 | 2 | 3.56 |
| 46 | Shoreline, WA | 57147 | 2 | 3.5 |
| 47 | University Place, WA | 34846 | 1 | 2.87 |
| 48 | Mount Vernon, WA | 35511 | 1 | 2.82 |
| 49 | Spokane Valley, WA | 108076 | 3 | 2.78 |
| 50 | Pasco, WA | 79899 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 51 | Puyallup, WA | 42580 | 1 | 2.35 |
| 52 | Edmonds, WA | 42714 | 1 | 2.34 |
| 53 | Bremerton, WA | 44256 | 1 | 2.26 |
| 54 | Bellingham, WA | 93014 | 2 | 2.15 |
| 55 | Bothell, WA | 47407 | 1 | 2.11 |
| 56 | Sammamish, WA | 65738 | 1 | 1.52 |
| 57 | Bellevue, WA | 147079 | 2 | 1.36 |
Ummm…where’s Auburn at? I know there was at least one murder there this past year.