You not only have to worry about killer snakes, killer cacti, and killer heat in Arizona, you have to worry about the most dangerous cities.
Why did we put the research into identifying the top ten most dangerous cities in Arizona? We’re trying to help you navigate these dangerous cities when deciding what city to call home. Our analysis compares the violent and property crimes per capita in the towns with a population of 5,000. That left us with 53 Arizona cities.
There are neighborhoods in these Arizona cities like Phoenix and Mesa that are not all bad. We recommend that you spend some time studying them before you make a move.
1,008 violent crimes /100k · 9,158 property crimes /100k · #1 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, ArizonaLocated on the west side of the Phoenix metro area, Tolleson is far from safe.
In fact, the total crime rate in Tolleson is the highest in Arizona, about four times higher than the national average.
That’s mostly because Tolleson’s residents had a 1 in 10 chance of being the victim of a property crime in 2024 — a crazy high rate. In other words, check to make sure you still have all your valuables after a hike at Monument Hill.
Violent crime is also a pretty big problem in Tolleson, considering the small city of 7,141 had 9 robberies and 50 aggravated assaults over the year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
811 violent crimes /100k · 5,408 property crimes /100k · #3 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Gila County, ArizonaGlobe retains its top spot on our list of Arizona’s most dangerous places for the second year running, thanks to high rates of both violent and property crime.
Folks in Globe had a 1 in 123 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in 2024, with a whopping 52 aggravated assaults reported (quite a lot for a city of just 7,156).
Property crime also ranked as the second highest in Arizona, with 346 larcenies recorded over the year. Besides protecting your pockets and purses, you should also keep your doors locked here, because Globe also had the third highest burglary rate in Arizona.
If you want to drive as far away from Globe’s crime as possible, you’re in luck, because the Salt River Canyon Scenic Drive starts here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
813 violent crimes /100k · 3,635 property crimes /100k · #2 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Navajo County, ArizonaThe Eagles put Winslow on the map with their hit song “Take it Easy,” but folks in Winslow must have a tough time taking it easy with such high crime rates.
The violent crime rate in Winslow is more than twice as high as the national average, with 68 cases recorded in 2024. That’s super high for a city of just 8,362.
And it’s not like property crime in Winslow is much better; the city averaged more than one property crime per day over the year.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
549 violent crimes /100k · 5,200 property crimes /100k · #7 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Coconino County, ArizonaPage is a popular tourist spot thanks to all the great outdoors opportunities that surround it, but having random people come and go has contributed to the city’s high crime rate.
Certainly, a lot of that crime is stolen phones and wallets, given Page’s status as the place with the third highest rate of property crime in Arizona.
But there’s even more sinister stuff going down in Page. The city had the fifth highest rate of rape cases and the 42nd highest murder rate in Arizona. Overall, folks had a 1 in 182 chance of being violently attacked in Page in 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
589 violent crimes /100k · 3,313 property crimes /100k · #6 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Pima County, ArizonaTucson bills itself as “America’s biggest small town,” but if small-town values imply low crime rates, then we’re calling shenanigans on that title.
Tucson residents have more to fear from criminals than any wildlife they might run into at Sabino Canyon, considering the city had the sixth highest violent crime rate in the state.
That includes the 13th highest rape rate and ninth highest murder rate in Arizona.
You also have to worry about your house or car getting broken into in Tucson, which recorded 1,629 burglaries and 2,830 car thefts in 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
800 violent crimes /100k · 2,325 property crimes /100k · #4 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, ArizonaFrom the top of Camelback Mountain , Phoenix looks peaceful, but it’s actually the sixth most dangerous place in Arizona.
Phoenix had the sixth highest rate of rape cases and fifth highest murder rate in Arizona. And those cases only make up a small proportion of the 13,296 violent crimes committed in Phoenix in 2024.
On top of that, residents of Phoenix faced a whopping 1 in 43 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged, with a staggeringly high 5,274 burglaries and 7,084 car thefts.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
737 violent crimes /100k · 2,261 property crimes /100k · #5 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Navajo County, ArizonaShow Low represents the hometown for George Takei, Star Trek’s Sulu. That isn’t it’s only claim to fame. The area also has a wild west history. Established in 1870, the town got its name as the result of a legendary poker game.
A bit of this rowdy reputation continues in modern times. Located in the eastern part of the state, the community also counts as the number 7 most dangerous spot in Arizona.
For a town with only 12,341 people, the area recorded 91 violent crimes. This included 4 sexual assaults, giving it the number 23 highest rate of this crime in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
488 violent crimes /100k · 2,671 property crimes /100k · #8 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, ArizonaGlendale, a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, ranks as the eighth most dangerous place to live in the state for 2026. With a population of 255,512, Glendale reported 1,248 violent crimes, including 20 murders. Additionally, there were 6,824 property crimes.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
470 violent crimes /100k · 2,894 property crimes /100k · #11 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Maricopa County, ArizonaA city of 191,376 located in Phoenix’s East Valley section, Tempe comes in as Arizona’s ninth most dangerous place to call home.
Tempe is home to Arizona State University, and while we’re not exactly blaming college students for the high crime rates, it can’t help having the population swell by up to 50,000 for the academic year.
Tempe had the second highest rate of rape cases in Arizona for 2024, but other violent crime stats here are actually not so bad.
The property crime rate, on the other hand, ranks as the eighth highest statewide.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
463 violent crimes /100k · 2,232 property crimes /100k · #12 most violent in Arizona
Located in
Coconino County, ArizonaFlagstaff is a city in and the county seat of Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2015, the city’s estimated population was 70,320. Flagstaff’s combined metropolitan area has an estimated population of 139,097. The city is named after a ponderosa pine flagpole made by a scouting party from Boston to celebrate the United States Centennial on July 4, 1876.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Arizona’s statewide median.
On the map
Where crime hits hardest in Arizona
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Arizona for 2026?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Arizona. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Arizona, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.
For our analysis, we focused on the 2024 data, specifically the 2024 Crime In The United States Report for Arizona.
So what criteria did we use? Have a look:
- Violent Crimes Per Capita
- Property Crimes Per Capita
In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Arizona cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 53 cities in Arizona.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 53 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.
Next, we averaged the two rankings into one “Dangerous Index”.
Finally, we ranked every city on the “Dangerous Index” with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Arizona — Tolleson. Any ties went to the smaller city.
This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our eleventh time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Arizona and is updated for 2026. Property crime in Arizona runs about 2 percent above the national rate — worth a minute to compare home security systems before you sign a lease.
The full plate
Crime By City In Arizona
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Dangerous Index | Population | Total Crimes Per 100K | Violent Crimes Per 100K | Property Crimes Per 100K | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tolleson | 1.00 | 7,141 | 10,167 | 1,008 | 9,158 | 0 |
| 2 | Globe | 2.50 | 7,156 | 6,219 | 811 | 5,408 | 0 |
| 3 | Winslow | 3.00 | 8,362 | 4,449 | 813 | 3,635 | 0 |
| 4 | Page | 5.00 | 7,288 | 5,749 | 549 | 5,200 | 0 |
| 5 | Tucson | 6.50 | 548,789 | 3,902 | 589 | 3,313 | 37 |
| 6 | Phoenix | 7.00 | 1,662,809 | 3,125 | 800 | 2,325 | 139 |
| 7 | Show Low | 8.00 | 12,341 | 2,998 | 737 | 2,261 | 2 |
| 8 | Glendale | 8.50 | 255,512 | 3,159 | 488 | 2,671 | 20 |
| 9 | Tempe | 9.50 | 191,376 | 3,364 | 470 | 2,894 | 5 |
| 10 | Flagstaff | 12.50 | 76,433 | 2,695 | 463 | 2,232 | 5 |
| 11 | Bullhead City | 13.50 | 43,923 | 2,648 | 455 | 2,192 | 1 |
| 12 | Avondale | 15.00 | 94,911 | 2,611 | 370 | 2,241 | 5 |
| 13 | Nogales | 15.50 | 19,686 | 3,830 | 229 | 3,602 | 0 |
| 14 | Mesa | 16.00 | 513,585 | 1,947 | 483 | 1,465 | 14 |
| 15 | Apache Junction | 17.00 | 41,994 | 1,938 | 426 | 1,512 | 1 |
| 16 | Casa Grande | 17.50 | 67,317 | 1,939 | 410 | 1,529 | 4 |
| 17 | Kingman | 18.00 | 36,187 | 3,601 | 221 | 3,380 | 3 |
| 18 | Coolidge | 20.50 | 20,276 | 1,835 | 306 | 1,529 | 2 |
| 19 | Lake Havasu City | 21.50 | 59,898 | 1,750 | 356 | 1,394 | 0 |
| 20 | Yuma | 21.50 | 101,989 | 1,671 | 424 | 1,247 | 3 |
| 21 | El Mirage | 22.00 | 35,815 | 1,639 | 383 | 1,256 | 1 |
| 22 | Sedona | 23.50 | 9,861 | 1,612 | 314 | 1,298 | 0 |
| 23 | Eloy | 23.50 | 19,594 | 1,455 | 485 | 970 | 2 |
| 24 | Sierra Vista | 23.50 | 44,119 | 1,881 | 218 | 1,664 | 1 |
| 25 | Scottsdale | 25.50 | 245,237 | 2,028 | 153 | 1,875 | 1 |
| 26 | Payson | 26.50 | 16,845 | 1,484 | 261 | 1,223 | 0 |
| 27 | Prescott | 27.00 | 48,339 | 1,452 | 335 | 1,117 | 1 |
| 28 | Peoria | 27.50 | 201,056 | 1,460 | 255 | 1,205 | 3 |
| 29 | Goodyear | 28.00 | 116,892 | 1,645 | 182 | 1,463 | 0 |
| 30 | Snowflake-Taylor | 28.50 | 11,231 | 1,425 | 312 | 1,113 | 0 |
| 31 | Chandler | 29.00 | 281,117 | 1,638 | 133 | 1,504 | 2 |
| 32 | Cottonwood | 30.00 | 13,441 | 1,391 | 223 | 1,168 | 0 |
| 33 | Camp Verde | 32.50 | 12,597 | 1,318 | 183 | 1,135 | 0 |
| 34 | Marana | 33.00 | 60,507 | 1,466 | 116 | 1,350 | 2 |
| 35 | Douglas | 33.50 | 15,359 | 1,647 | 78 | 1,569 | 0 |
| 36 | Maricopa | 35.00 | 75,614 | 1,094 | 225 | 869 | 2 |
| 37 | Prescott Valley | 36.50 | 51,116 | 994 | 225 | 769 | 2 |
| 38 | Gilbert | 38.50 | 277,527 | 1,100 | 132 | 968 | 1 |
| 39 | Buckeye | 40.00 | 114,513 | 938 | 167 | 771 | 3 |
| 40 | Sahuarita | 41.50 | 37,049 | 1,069 | 92 | 977 | 2 |
| 41 | Surprise | 41.50 | 163,202 | 985 | 109 | 876 | 12 |
| 42 | Litchfield Park | 42.00 | 6,881 | 1,046 | 102 | 945 | 0 |
| 43 | Paradise Valley | 42.00 | 12,440 | 1,069 | 80 | 989 | 0 |
| 44 | Oro Valley | 42.00 | 48,680 | 1,200 | 51 | 1,148 | 0 |
| 45 | Queen Creek | 42.00 | 82,639 | 941 | 120 | 822 | 0 |
| 46 | Wickenburg | 43.00 | 8,343 | 971 | 108 | 863 | 0 |
| 47 | Somerton | 43.00 | 14,717 | 707 | 177 | 530 | 0 |
| 48 | Florence | 45.00 | 23,354 | 668 | 120 | 548 | 2 |
| 49 | Bisbee | 46.50 | 5,019 | 737 | 100 | 638 | 0 |
| 50 | San Luis | 48.50 | 38,809 | 636 | 88 | 549 | 0 |
| 51 | Thatcher | 49.00 | 5,546 | 721 | 72 | 649 | 0 |
| 52 | Clarkdale | 51.00 | 5,061 | 573 | 20 | 553 | 0 |
| 53 | Chino Valley | 51.00 | 14,059 | 548 | 78 | 469 | 0 |
Source: FBI UCR 2024. 53 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Locking It All Up In Arizona
So what is the most dangerous city in Arizona? After analyzing 53 cities in Arizona, Tolleson takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Arizona based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2024.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Tolleson ranks as the most dangerous city in Arizona for 2026.
The most dangerous cities in Arizona are Tolleson, Globe, Winslow, Page, Tucson, Phoenix, Show Low, Glendale, Tempe, and Flagstaff.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Tolleson and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up. Not sold on Arizona? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Most Dangerous Places To Live In Arizona FAQs
Is Arizona a dangerous state?
Yes, Arizona is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #10 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Arizona ranks ninth most dangerous in the United States — 31.1% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Grand Canyon State ranks 15th most dangerous in the United States — 13.98% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Is Phoenix, AZ a dangerous city?
Yes, Phoenix is a dangerous city. Phoenix ranks as the #112 most dangerous out of 328 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Phoenix might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Desert View is the safest in Phoenix, while Central City is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Phoenix ranks 64th highest in America — 49.07% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 12highest in the United States — 6.34% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022 and that no city in America is ‘dangerous’. Despite the uptick in murders, it’s nothing like you’d see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.
