Crime & Safety in Tempe
Tempe's crime data reads less favorably than Mesa's or Chandler's in this dataset -- NeighborhoodScout and CrimeGrade disagree on specific rates but agree in direction, both describing Tempe as running higher-crime than typical for Arizona and the nation.
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Learn moreNeighborhoodScout: among the higher rates it catalogs nationally
NeighborhoodScout cites an overall crime rate of 35 per 1,000 residents for Tempe -- among the higher rates NeighborhoodScout catalogs nationally across all US communities of all sizes -- with more than 93% of Arizona communities running a lower rate than Tempe's. That works out to a cited 1-in-28 chance of being a victim of violent or property crime overall, a 1-in-207 chance specifically for violent crime, and a 1-in-33 (30-per-1,000) chance for property crime.
CrimeGrade: a separate, also-unfavorable read
CrimeGrade separately cites an overall combined crime rate of 54.49 per 1,000 and a violent-crime rate of 6.792 per 1,000 for Tempe, explicitly describing the city as "less safe than the Arizona state average and less safe than the national average." CrimeGrade cites the southeast part of the city as residents' perceived safest area.
A real, disclosed contrast with Mesa and Chandler in this dataset
Unlike Mesa (where NeighborhoodScout and CrimeGrade both read as roughly average-to-safer-than-peers) and Chandler (both read as above-average-safety), Tempe's two leading crime-data sources agree in DIRECTION here -- both read Tempe as running higher-crime than typical for Arizona and the nation -- even though their specific rates and framings differ. This is disclosed plainly rather than softened, consistent with the base record's own approach.
Key takeaways
- NeighborhoodScout cites Tempe's overall crime rate at 35 per 1,000 residents -- among the higher rates it catalogs nationally, with more than 93% of Arizona communities running lower.
- CrimeGrade separately cites an overall rate of 54.49 per 1,000 and violent-crime rate of 6.792 per 1,000, describing Tempe as "less safe than the Arizona state average and less safe than the national average."
- Unlike Mesa or Chandler in this dataset, Tempe's two leading crime-data sources agree in DIRECTION -- both read Tempe as running higher-crime than typical -- a real, disclosed contrast rather than a close call.
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