Crime in Tacoma, Washington

Property crime

The vast majority of crimes in America are property crimes, accounting for 85% of total crimes in 2019. In Tacoma, property crimes account for about 86% of all offenses.

Property crime is much more prevalent in Tacoma than it is nationwide. There were 11,415 property crimes in Tacoma in 2019, or 5,221 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate is 2,110 incidents per 100,000 people.

Larceny

Larceny is by far the most common type of property crime in the U.S. It is also the most commonly committed type of property crime in Tacoma. There were 8,021 larcenies reported in Tacoma in 2019, or 3,668 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the larceny rate is 1,550 per 100,000.

Burglary

There were 1,768 break-ins reported in Tacoma in 2019, or 809 for every 100,000 residents. For reference, there were 341 reported burglaries for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Motor Vehicle Theft

Across the United States, the annual motor vehicle theft rate is 220 for every 100,000 people. In Tacoma, meanwhile, there were 1,626 motor vehicle thefts in 2019, or 744 for every 100,000 people.

Violent crime

Violent crime accounts for a relatively small share of crimes nationwide. These offenses, which are generally more egregious than property crimes, account for about 15% of the nearly 8.2 million offenses reported across the U.S. in 2019. In Tacoma, however, violent offenses account for a smaller 14% share of all reported crime.

At 845 incidents for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Tacoma is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people. Law enforcement in Tacoma reported a total of 1,848 violent crimes in 2019.

Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault is by far the most common type of violent crime reported in the U.S. It is also the most commonly reported violent offense in Tacoma. There were 1,250 aggravated assaults reported in Tacoma in 2019, or 572 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, the rate is far lower, standing at 250 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people.

Robbery

Robbery is the second most common type of violent crime in America. There were 422 robberies reported in Tacoma in 2019, a rate of 193 robberies for every 100,000 residents. For comparison, the national robbery rate was 82 per 100,000 in 2019.

Rape

There were 160 rapes reported in Tacoma in 2019, or 73 for every 100,000 people. Nationwide, there were 139,815 rapes in 2019, a rate of 43 per 100,000 people.

Murder

There were 16 homicides committed in the city in 2019. Adjusted for population, the murder rate in Tacoma is 7.3 murders for every 100,000 people, higher than the national murder rate of 5 per 100,000 people.