The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Tacoma, WA


The most dangerous and worst Tacoma neighborhoods are Larchmont and Lower Portland Avenue for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Worst Neighborhoods In Tacoma
Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR 2 | CC BY-SA 2.0

Tacoma’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Tacoma.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Washington thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Tacoma. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.

So the question arises, which Tacoma neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?

Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Tacoma hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Tacoma area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Proctor ranks way above the rest.

We examined 31 of Tacoma’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Tacoma’s reputation.


Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Tacoma For 2024

  1. Larchmont
  2. Lower Portland Avenue
  3. Fern Hill
  4. P.L.U.
  5. South End
  6. South Tacoma
  7. New Tacoma
  8. Ketcham Knoll
  9. Hillsdale
  10. Mckinley Hill

So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Tacoma for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Larchmont looks to be the worst neighborhood in Tacoma.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Tacoma that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.

For more Washington reading, check out:

The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Tacoma For 2024

1. Larchmont

Population: 3,650

Median Home Value: $180,007 (10th worst)
Median Income: $42,987 (3rd worst)

2. Lower Portland Avenue

Population: 511

Median Home Value: $165,471 (5th worst)
Median Income: $45,801 (8th worst)

3. Fern Hill

Population: 2,258

Median Home Value: $160,124 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $45,748 (7th worst)

4. P.L.U.

Population: 11,825

Median Home Value: $171,925 (6th worst)
Median Income: $51,598 (14th worst)

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 38,944

Median Home Value: $173,275 (7th worst)
Median Income: $45,707 (6th worst)
More on South End:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 30,118

Median Home Value: $153,172 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $48,589 (10th worst)
More on South Tacoma:  Data

7. New Tacoma

Population: 11,912

Median Home Value: $240,798 (14th worst)
Median Income: $42,067 (2nd worst)

8. Ketcham Knoll

Population: 3,333

Median Home Value: $266,042 (16th worst)
Median Income: $49,612 (11th worst)

9. Hillsdale

Population: 7,889

Median Home Value: $183,075 (11th worst)
Median Income: $52,361 (17th worst)

10. Mckinley Hill

Population: 26,840

Median Home Value: $176,655 (9th worst)
Median Income: $51,707 (15th worst)

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Tacoma neighborhoods in 2024

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Tacoma:

  • High crime (Estimated)
  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Tacoma.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Tacoma.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 31 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Tacoma

Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Tacoma with Larchmont landing at the bottom of the pack.

The worst neighborhoods in Tacoma are Larchmont, Lower Portland Avenue, Fern Hill, P.L.U., South End, South Tacoma, New Tacoma, Ketcham Knoll, Hillsdale, and Mckinley Hill.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Tacoma aren’t all bad. Proctor takes the cake as the best place to live in Tacoma.

The best neighborhoods in Tacoma are Proctor, Theatre District, Upper Tacoma District, Old Town, and North End.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more Washington reading, check out:

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Tacoma For 2024?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Larchmont 3,650 $180,007 $42,987
2 Lower Portland Avenue 511 $165,471 $45,801
3 Fern Hill 2,258 $160,124 $45,748
4 P.l.u. 11,825 $171,925 $51,598
5 South End 38,944 $173,275 $45,707
6 South Tacoma 30,118 $153,172 $48,589
7 New Tacoma 11,912 $240,798 $42,067
8 Ketcham Knoll 3,333 $266,042 $49,612
9 Hillsdale 7,889 $183,075 $52,361
10 Mckinley Hill 26,840 $176,655 $51,707
11 North Fort Lewis 6,234 $269,106 $63,411
12 Manitou 3,550 $165,122 $57,387
13 Eastside 57,761 $176,342 $51,083
14 Madrona 3,100 $329,742 $46,517
15 Firecrest 5,524 $276,432 $57,061
16 Lincoln 4,622 $151,419 $43,165
17 Central 21,959 $198,128 $51,128
18 Sunset Beach 3,730 $476,132 $73,410
19 Midland 4,665 $282,018 $52,164
20 University Place 11,185 $496,830 $61,301
21 Dash Point 11,494 $304,116 $83,392
22 Roman Ridge 4,603 $273,291 $56,067
23 Salishan 4,010 $315,172 $59,147
24 West End 26,434 $290,958 $61,168
25 6th Avenue 654 $245,628 $67,467
26 Stadium 323 $432,098 $43,979
27 North End 26,704 $292,910 $72,196
28 Old Town 5,308 $390,336 $70,474
29 Upper Tacoma District 9,486 $202,659 $61,040
30 Theatre District 5,891 $47,679,497 $40,064
31 Proctor 209 $313,634 $82,791
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.