Crime & Safety in Flagstaff
Both leading crime-data sources read Flagstaff as meaningfully above national and state averages -- a real, disclosed finding rather than a favorable spin, and genuinely different from the more mixed or favorable readings documented for Prescott and Sedona in this same batch.
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Learn moreNeighborhoodScout's read: among the higher-crime Arizona communities
NeighborhoodScout cites an overall crime rate of 29 per 1,000 residents for Flagstaff -- "one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes" -- and states that more than 89% of Arizona communities have a LOWER crime rate than Flagstaff, meaning Flagstaff ranks among the state's higher-crime cities by this measure.
CrimeGrade's read: a similar direction, different magnitude
CrimeGrade cites a higher overall rate of 38.51 per 1,000 residents and an annual cost-of-crime-per-resident of $558 -- $94 above the national average and $106 above Arizona's own state average. While the exact per-1,000 figures differ from NeighborhoodScout's, both sources agree on the same overall direction: Flagstaff runs above-average on crime by both measures reviewed.
Real block-level variance exists, even within an above-average citywide reading
Residents cite the northwest part of the city as comparatively safer. As with any city, block-level variance is real and can be masked by a single citywide statistic. Per site policy, no specific lower-rated area is named here -- check a specific address directly with both sources.
How this compares within the same Arizona high-country batch
Flagstaff reads as the highest-crime of the three Arizona high-country markets in this batch (Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott) on every raw metric reviewed -- worth naming directly rather than treating 'mountain town' as a uniform safety profile across all three.
Key takeaways
- NeighborhoodScout cites 29 crimes per 1,000 residents for Flagstaff, describing it as among the highest crime rates in America and higher than more than 89% of Arizona communities.
- CrimeGrade cites a higher 38.51-per-1,000 rate and a $558 annual cost-of-crime-per-resident, $94 above the national average -- both sources agree on the same above-average direction even though raw figures differ.
- Residents cite the northwest part of the city as comparatively safer; no specific lower-rated area is named here per site policy -- check a specific address directly with both sources.
- Of the three Arizona high-country markets in this batch (Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott), Flagstaff reads as the highest-crime on every raw metric reviewed.
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