(The Center Square) – A new report finds that Seattle ranked as one of the top five cities with high crime rates in 2024, but officials say the city is turning a corner.
According to data from the FBI collected by Security.org, Seattle ranked fourth in major U.S. cities with the highest total crime rate per 100,000 residents at 5,782. That is 172.9% more than the national average.
The national violent crime rate last year was at its lowest in roughly 20 years, according to the report. Memphis, Tenn. had the highest total crime rate with 9,400.3 cases per 100,000 residents, followed by Portland, Ore. (6,246.4) and Detroit, Mich. (6,086.6).
Seattle’s high ranking is mainly driven by its property crime rate of 5,007.6 cases per 100,000 residents. That ranks third among major U.S. cities behind Portland, Ore. and Memphis, Tenn.
Notably, Seattle is not listed as one of the top 10 cities for highest rate of violent crime.
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office points to the police department’s own crime dashboard to show progress being made on building a safer city. Total crime in Seattle this year is on pace to be lower than 2024, when there were 46,001 total reported crimes, including 5,408 reports of violent crime.
Through Aug. 25, crime in Seattle has totaled 25,299, a decrease of fewer than 1% from 25,421 in the same span of time last year.
Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle – chair of the Public Safety Committee – noted that 2024 marked a transition for the city, in which the Strategic Framework Plan was implemented. The plan included 20 pieces of public safety legislation that were passed.
“Our neighborhoods feel safer in many instances and crime statistics are trending in a positive direction, but our work continues given the challenges that remain in some areas to better achieve our mission of creating a safe base in our city,” Kettle said in a statement shared with The Center Square.
Harrell spokesperson Callie Craighead pointed The Center Square to recent success in hiring new deputies. Through July, the Seattle Police Department hired more than 100 new recruits, a major priority of Harrell’s administration.
The Seattle City Council is also set to expand its Crime Prevention Technology pilot program to new areas of the city based on the early success of the Real Time Crime Center.
“Mayor Harrell recognizes that there is still more work to do to reduce crime, and we will continue to advance innovative and effective solutions to make communities safer,” Craighead said in an email to The Center Square.
