Crime & Safety in Kent
Kent's crime picture is genuinely mixed, disclosed here on both sides: an overall crime rate (59.26 per 1,000) running well above the national average, driven substantially by property crime, alongside a violent crime rate (18.1 per 1,000) that runs BELOW the national average.
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Learn moreOverall crime runs above the national average, driven by property crime
Kent's overall crime rate (59.26 per 1,000) runs well above the national average (33.37) -- driven substantially by property crime specifically (37 per 1,000, a 1-in-27 annual victim chance). This is a real, disclosed, elevated figure.
Violent crime, by contrast, runs below the national average
Kent's violent crime rate (18.1 per 1,000) runs BELOW the national average (22.7) -- a genuine, favorable nuance this record discloses alongside the less favorable overall figure rather than omitting it. Annual violent crime victim odds run roughly 1 in 180.
A real, positive multi-year trend with one recent exception
Kent's crime rate fell 26% from 2023 to 2024, with homicides dropping from 17 to 7 -- a real, substantial multi-year improvement. But the most recent year-over-year reading shows a real, disclosed exception: while total crime fell 21.1% and property crime fell 24.6%, violent crime specifically ROSE 23.7% over the same period.
Neighborhood-level grades skew favorable
68.8% of Kent neighborhoods grade A for safety, 25% grade B, and 6.3% grade C -- zero D/F neighborhoods cited, though confirming a specific target address directly remains worthwhile.
Key takeaways
- Kent's overall crime rate runs above the national average, driven substantially by property crime.
- Kent's violent crime rate runs BELOW the national average -- a real, favorable nuance.
- Crime fell 26% from 2023 to 2024 (homicides more than halved), though the most recent reading shows violent crime up 23.7% even as total crime fell.
- 68.8% of Kent neighborhoods grade A for safety, with zero D/F neighborhoods cited.
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