The most dangerous places in Nevada will need more than beginner’s luck to turn their situations around.
The Silver State has its fair share of dangerous places, including Las Vegas, where you’ll find the most crime. Most of Nevada’s crime is centered around its bigger cities like Las Vegas and Reno.
To determine the most dangerous places in New Mexico, we used Saturday Night Science to review the FBI’s latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 4,000 residents.
If you live in Nevada’s safest city, Mesquite, keep enjoying life. If you don’t, we suggest you take a look at the list below.
Not sold on Nevada? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
430 violent crimes /100k · 2,623 property crimes /100k · #4 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Clark County, NevadaIt probably won’t surprise anyone to learn that Las Vegas is the most dangerous place to live in Nevada for 2026. Sin City is home to loads of resorts and casinos and the iconic Las Vegas Strip brings in tourists from all over the world.
Those tourists would be well-advised to keep their guard up in Las Vegas because the city had the highest property crime rate in Nevada. That means folks had a 1 in 38 chance of having their stuff damaged or stolen over 2024 — not winning odds for a city that loves its gambling.
It’s not just tourists getting their wallets stolen either; Las Vegas residents have to contend with the highest burglary statewide.
On top of all that, Las Vegas has big issues with violent crime. Like having the sixth highest rape and fifth highest murder rate in Nevada. Just for good measure, Las Vegas also averaged 20 car thefts a day over 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
530 violent crimes /100k · 2,445 property crimes /100k · #3 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Washoe County, NevadaThe Biggest Little City in the World, Reno comes in as Nevada’s second most dangerous place to call home. Reno went down 1 spots on this list from last year, mostly thanks to a drop in violent crime.
It’s still a good idea to keep a watchful eye while you’re on the Reno Riverwalk, because there were about nine larcenies each day over 2024, on average. That’s a lot of picked pockets.
And while violent crime has been improving, Reno residents still have to contend with the third highest violent crime rate statewide.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
846 violent crimes /100k · 1,535 property crimes /100k · #1 most violent in Nevada
West Wendover sounds like a quaint community in England. The kind of place that might form the setting for a sequel to Downton Abbey. But if you book a trip here looking for cozy cottages, a stately manor house and delicious crumpets at tea time, your travel agent might be a con artist. This is actually a desert community in the northeast of Nevada. If you’re in Salt Lake City, jump in your car and head west on I-80 for about an hour and 45 minutes, you’ll end up in West Wendover.
You might want to keep driving. Besides the lack of bangers and mash, West Wendover suffers from a frightening crime problem. The community endures the number 1 highest pace of violent crimes in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
394 violent crimes /100k · 2,584 property crimes /100k · #6 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Washoe County, NevadaA neighbor of Reno, Sparks is Nevada’s fifth biggest and fourth most dangerous city. While you can find plenty of family fun at the Wild Island Family Adventure Park, you’ll want to make sure you lock up your valuables because Sparks had the second highest property crime rate in Nevada.
Residents of Sparks have to deal with high rates of burglary, rape, and murder, all of which rank in the top ten statewide. So stay away from shady situations in Sparks, or you may join some 3,000 unfortunate crime victims the city had in 2024.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
694 violent crimes /100k · 1,327 property crimes /100k · #2 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Humboldt County, NevadaWinnemucca’s crime numbers have actually gone down over the last year, despite it jumping down 2 spot on this list. Other Nevada cities are just improving faster than Winnemucca.
Extreme sports enthusiasts will be happy to have the Winnemucca Sand Dunes right in their backyard, but they won’t be as pleased by the extreme nature of the city’s crime.
Winnemucca isn’t all that violent, but it did have the eighth highest property crime rate in Nevada for 2024. That includes the second highest burglary rate.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
389 violent crimes /100k · 1,961 property crimes /100k · #7 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Clark County, NevadaBoth violent and property crime rates fell slightly over the last year in North Las Vegas, but that hasn’t helped the city avoid the #6 spot on this list.
Violent crime rates in North Las Vegas are the seventh highest in Nevada, which includes the second highest murder rate. Overall, residents had a 1 in 257 shot of being the victim of violence over 2024.
All of which means it’s a good idea to bring a friend if you’re going out to Aliante Nature Discovery Park after dark. You should also keep an eye on your wallet and phone here because North Las Vegas also has above-average property crime rates.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
398 violent crimes /100k · 1,438 property crimes /100k · #5 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Elko County, NevadaElko is the Heart of Northeast Nevada, but it’s also the state’s seventh most dangerous place to live. Residents are glad to have the Humboldt National Forest nearby — they need a safe haven with all the crime going down on the city’s streets.
Elko residents had a 1 in 69 chance of being the victim of a property crime over 2024, the seventh highest odds in Nevada.
And while overall violent crime doesn’t rank in the top five statewide, the rate of rape cases is the second highest in the state. Elko is also the murder capital of Nevada, recording the third highest rate of homicides anywhere in the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
272 violent crimes /100k · 1,715 property crimes /100k · #8 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Clark County, NevadaNevada’s second biggest city, Henderson, is also its eighth most dangerous. Henderson had the seventh highest murder rate in Nevada over 2024, so trust your instincts around shifty characters here.
There was also more than one car theft each day in Henderson, on average. And those make up just a small proportion of the 5,893 property crimes committed over the year.
So while you may be a little scared of the sharp claws on display at the Lion Habitat Ranch, know that the real threat comes from Henderson’s criminal element.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
207 violent crimes /100k · 1,149 property crimes /100k · #9 most violent in Nevada
Located in
Churchill County, NevadaNo, this isn’t named after Jimmy Fallon. Rather, this community received its moniker in celebration of early settlers to the region, Michael and Eliza Fallon. Distant ancestors of the talk show host? Time to contact 23andMe and find out.
The town got its initial founding during the California Gold Rush. In the 1960s, the area was the site of nuclear testing. Nowadays, the town features casinos and an annual cantaloupe festival. (Maybe the nuclear testing is giving a lingering unnatural boost to that cantaloupe crop.)
Given its Wild West past and its heritage of weapons testing, a high crime rate fits right into the town’s brand. It ranks as the number 9 most dangerous spot in Nevada.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
182 violent crimes /100k · 716 property crimes /100k · #10 most violent in Nevada
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada. It is approximately 26 miles southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census, the population of Boulder City was 15,023.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Nevada’s statewide median.
On the map
Where crime hits hardest in Nevada
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most dangerous cities in Nevada for 2026?
Every year the FBI release two crime datasets on cities in Nevada. First a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in Nevada, 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 Nevada.
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 Nevada cities over 4,000 in population. That left us with 11 cities in Nevada.
We then ranked each city from 1 to 11 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 Nevada — Las Vegas. 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 Nevada and is updated for 2026. Property crime in Nevada runs about 25 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 Nevada
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 | Las Vegas | 2.50 | 1,716,565 | 3,053 | 430 | 2,623 | 106 |
| 2 | Reno | 3.00 | 278,313 | 2,975 | 530 | 2,445 | 23 |
| 3 | West Wendover | 3.50 | 4,494 | 2,381 | 846 | 1,535 | 0 |
| 4 | Sparks | 4.00 | 110,807 | 2,978 | 394 | 2,584 | 5 |
| 5 | Winnemucca | 5.00 | 8,216 | 2,020 | 694 | 1,327 | 2 |
| 6 | North Las Vegas | 5.50 | 293,100 | 2,350 | 389 | 1,961 | 35 |
| 7 | Elko | 6.00 | 20,861 | 1,836 | 398 | 1,438 | 2 |
| 8 | Henderson | 6.50 | 343,619 | 1,987 | 272 | 1,715 | 8 |
| 9 | Fallon | 9.00 | 9,661 | 1,356 | 207 | 1,149 | 0 |
| 10 | Boulder City | 10.50 | 14,800 | 899 | 182 | 716 | 0 |
| 11 | Mesquite | 10.50 | 23,559 | 1,129 | 123 | 1,006 | 0 |
Source: FBI UCR 2024. 11 cities with more than 4,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Locking It All Up In Nevada
So what is the most dangerous city in Nevada? After analyzing 11 cities in Nevada, Las Vegas takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Nevada based on the most recently reported FBI data — 2024.
The latest FBI crime data shows that Las Vegas ranks as the most dangerous city in Nevada for 2026.
The most dangerous cities in Nevada are Las Vegas, Reno, West Wendover, Sparks, Winnemucca, North Las Vegas, Elko, Henderson, Fallon, and Boulder City.
We want to point out again that there’s still safes places in Las Vegas and that this isn’t a comment on the people that live there. So please don’t beat us up.
Questions and answers
Most Dangerous Places To Live In Nevada FAQs
Is Nevada a dangerous state?
Yes, Nevada is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #18 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in Nevada ranks 12th most dangerous in the United States — 24.47% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Silver State ranks 27th most dangerous in the United States — 1.42% better than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2022.
Is Henderson, NV a dangerous city?
No, Henderson is not a dangerous city. Henderson ranks as the #93 safest 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 Henderson might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Paradise Hills is the safest in Henderson, while Whitney Ranch is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.
Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Henderson ranks 237th highest in America — 45.3% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 225th highest in the United States — 29.69% better 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.
