Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Washington?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Washington with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 53 cities in the Evergreen State with over 6,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Washington
What city has the highest murder rate in Washington? The city with the highest murder rate in Washington is Moses Lake with 22.5 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Washington with highest number of murders? The city in Washington with the highest number of murders is Seattle with 52 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Washington ranked. There were ‘only’ 53 cities in Washington where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 65 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Evergreen State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Washington
- Cheapest Places To Live In Washington
- Most Dangerous Cities In Washington
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Washington For 2026
/10
Population: 26,624
Murders: 6 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (Most)
More on Moses Lake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 96,646
Murders: 15 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.5 (2nd Most)
More on Yakima: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 6,477
Murders: 1 (4Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.4 (3rd Most)
More on Woodland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 20,933
Murders: 3 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.3 (4th Most)
More on Tukwila: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 14,097
Murders: 2 (22nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.2 (5th Most)
More on East Wenatchee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 7,260
Murders: 1 (4Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.8 (6th Most)
More on Clarkston: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 16,220
Murders: 2 (22nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.3 (7th Most)
More on Sunnyside: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 82,838
Murders: 10 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.1 (8th Most)
More on Auburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 8,540
Murders: 1 (4Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.7 (9th Most)
More on North Bend: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 8,690
Murders: 1 (4Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.5 (10th Most)
More on Milton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Washington
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Washington for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 53 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Moses Lake. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Washington. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Washington For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in Washington with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Washington are Moses Lake, Yakima, Woodland, Tukwila, East Wenatchee, Clarkston, Sunnyside, Auburn, North Bend, and Milton.
For more Washington reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Washington
- Fastest Growing Cities In Washington
- Safest Places In Washington
- Best Cities For Singles In Washington
- Worst Places To Live In Washington
Murder Rates By City In Washington
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moses Lake, WA | 26624 | 6 | 22.54 |
| 2 | Yakima, WA | 96646 | 15 | 15.52 |
| 3 | Woodland, WA | 6477 | 1 | 15.44 |
| 4 | Tukwila, WA | 20933 | 3 | 14.33 |
| 5 | East Wenatchee, WA | 14097 | 2 | 14.19 |
| 6 | Clarkston, WA | 7260 | 1 | 13.77 |
| 7 | Sunnyside, WA | 16220 | 2 | 12.33 |
| 8 | Auburn, WA | 82838 | 10 | 12.07 |
| 9 | North Bend, WA | 8540 | 1 | 11.71 |
| 10 | Milton, WA | 8690 | 1 | 11.51 |
| 11 | Selah, WA | 8712 | 1 | 11.48 |
| 12 | Hoquiam, WA | 8791 | 1 | 11.38 |
| 13 | West Richland, WA | 19202 | 2 | 10.42 |
| 14 | Port Angeles, WA | 20133 | 2 | 9.93 |
| 15 | Tacoma, WA | 223980 | 22 | 9.82 |
| 16 | Fife, WA | 10612 | 1 | 9.42 |
| 17 | Arlington, WA | 21610 | 2 | 9.25 |
| 18 | Lynnwood, WA | 45807 | 4 | 8.73 |
| 19 | Kelso, WA | 12620 | 1 | 7.92 |
| 20 | Olympia, WA | 55775 | 4 | 7.17 |
| 21 | Spokane, WA | 229529 | 16 | 6.97 |
| 22 | Seattle, WA | 760058 | 52 | 6.84 |
| 23 | Lakewood, WA | 61873 | 4 | 6.46 |
| 24 | SeaTac, WA | 31950 | 2 | 6.26 |
| 25 | Walla Walla, WA | 33062 | 2 | 6.05 |
| 26 | Pullman, WA | 33105 | 2 | 6.04 |
| 27 | Vancouver, WA | 198194 | 11 | 5.55 |
| 28 | Anacortes, WA | 18123 | 1 | 5.52 |
| 29 | Ellensburg, WA | 18472 | 1 | 5.41 |
| 30 | Everett, WA | 111276 | 6 | 5.39 |
| 31 | Kent, WA | 132324 | 7 | 5.29 |
| 32 | Centralia, WA | 18919 | 1 | 5.29 |
| 33 | Federal Way, WA | 96631 | 5 | 5.17 |
| 34 | Renton, WA | 103762 | 5 | 4.82 |
| 35 | Covington, WA | 21216 | 1 | 4.71 |
| 36 | Bremerton, WA | 46079 | 2 | 4.34 |
| 37 | Kenmore, WA | 23227 | 1 | 4.31 |
| 38 | Oak Harbor, WA | 23817 | 1 | 4.2 |
| 39 | Burien, WA | 50318 | 2 | 3.97 |
| 40 | Kennewick, WA | 85553 | 3 | 3.51 |
| 41 | Maple Valley, WA | 28551 | 1 | 3.5 |
| 42 | Lacey, WA | 58872 | 2 | 3.4 |
| 43 | Des Moines, WA | 31694 | 1 | 3.16 |
| 44 | Mount Vernon, WA | 35244 | 1 | 2.84 |
| 45 | Longview, WA | 37944 | 1 | 2.64 |
| 46 | Puyallup, WA | 41898 | 1 | 2.39 |
| 47 | Edmonds, WA | 42659 | 1 | 2.34 |
| 48 | Bellingham, WA | 95717 | 2 | 2.09 |
| 49 | Shoreline, WA | 62234 | 1 | 1.61 |
| 50 | Richland, WA | 64736 | 1 | 1.54 |
| 51 | Kirkland, WA | 90687 | 1 | 1.1 |
| 52 | Spokane Valley, WA | 109852 | 1 | 0.91 |
| 53 | Bellevue, WA | 151520 | 1 | 0.66 |