Crime & Safety in Tacoma
Tacoma's crime picture is disclosed honestly on both sides: a real, genuine 23% year-over-year improvement in the 2025 composite crime index, alongside an honest disclosure that the resulting rate still runs roughly double the national average, with homicides down substantially from a 2022 peak even amid a slight single-year uptick in the most recent count reviewed.
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Learn moreA Real, Current Improvement That Still Leaves Tacoma Above National Averages
City-data.com's composite crime index fell 23% in 2025 versus 2024 -- a genuine, current improvement -- yet the resulting index (455) still runs roughly 2.0 times the US average, and a separate citation puts Tacoma's overall crime rate at 215% higher than the national average. Both facts are disclosed together rather than leading only with the positive trend.
Homicides: A Real, Multi-Year Downward Trend With a Recent Single-Year Uptick
Homicides were 22 in 2025, a slight uptick from the prior year's count per this specific source, but down substantially from a 2022 peak of 45 and 34 in 2023 -- a genuine, multi-year downward trend disclosed honestly alongside the single-year uptick rather than smoothed into an unbroken decline narrative.
Tacoma's Violent Crime Rate Ranks Among the Highest in the State
The violent crime rate runs 7.364 per 1,000 residents, with local coverage specifically noting Tacoma carries one of the highest violent crime rates in Washington state per 2024 FBI data -- a real, disclosed fact this record does not minimize in service of an otherwise favorable affordability and revitalization narrative.
Real, Meaningful Neighborhood-to-Neighborhood Variance Exists
As detailed on the best-areas topic page, the odds of violent-crime victimization vary substantially by specific Tacoma neighborhood -- roughly 1-in-62 in central neighborhoods versus roughly 1-in-352 in the northeast, per one citation. Citywide averages meaningfully understate this real variation; confirm neighborhood-specific crime data for any address under serious consideration.
City Leadership Has Publicly Acknowledged the Issue
Local coverage has documented Tacoma city leaders and mayoral candidates directly discussing the city's high violent-crime rate as an ongoing public priority -- a real, disclosed sign that this is treated as a genuine, current civic issue locally, not glossed over by local government either.
Key takeaways
- Tacoma's crime index fell a genuine 23% in 2025, but the resulting rate still runs roughly double the national average -- both facts disclosed together.
- Homicides fell substantially from a 2022 peak (45) to 2025 (22), even with a slight single-year uptick in the most recent count reviewed.
- Tacoma carries one of the highest violent crime rates in Washington state per 2024 FBI data -- a real, disclosed fact, not minimized.
- Real, meaningful neighborhood variance exists -- roughly 1-in-62 odds of violent-crime victimization in central neighborhoods versus 1-in-352 in the northeast, per one citation.
- Local city leadership has publicly and directly discussed Tacoma's violent-crime rate as an ongoing civic priority.
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