With warm weather, affordable living, outdoor access, and great family activities, there are plenty of reasons to move to Tempe, Arizona. However, the amount of crime that takes place there is enough to effectively deter many from pursuing a new home or residence in the area over surrounding cities.
Tempe, Arizona experiences high crime rates throughout the city and is considered to be more dangerous than 96% of US cities. Violent and property crime rates in Tempe exceed both Arizona state and national averages in all areas. There are 217 crimes reported per square mile within city limits.
These crime rates really are high, and the other statistics on crime in the city of Tempe continue to increase concern. The area really isn’t the safest place to live, as is proven in the information found in the following sections.
Annual Crime Rates in Tempe, Arizona
One way to look at the amount of crime that takes place in a city is by viewing the number of total crimes that are committed in the city, related to the geographical area that it covers. In the United States, for example, there are approximately 27 total crime reports made per square mile. This is incredibly close to the Arizona state median of 26 crime reports for each square mile of area. With this in mind, the city of Tempe has approximately 217 crimes reported per square mile of the area within the city limits. This is more than 8 times more crime reports than the average US or Arizona city.
In total, the city of Tempe, Arizona has approximately 8,702 crime reports made annually. The population of the city in relation to this total means that there are 48 crimes reported in the city for every group of 1,000 residents. Of these, the majority are property crime reports, which are the most common type of crimes to be committed in most cities. There are a total of 7,586 property crimes reported in Tempe annually, and around 42 per 1,000 residents of the city are the victims of a property crime. The remaining crimes reported are violent crimes, with about 6.18 per 1,000 residents being the victim of a violent crime every year.
According to information about the total amount of crime reports annually in cities across the United States, Tempe is not a very safe place to live. In fact, it is considered to only be safer than a mere 4% of cities in the nation. The most concerning truth from this, however, is that Tempe’s total crime rates make it more dangerous than 96% of US cities!
Statistics on Annual Property Crime Reports
There is a high number of property crime reports made in Tempe, as it is the most common type of crime that is committed within the city. Some examples of property crime offenses include shoplifting, theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and burglary.
Each person in Tempe has a 1 in 24 chance that a property crime will be committed against them while there. This is alarmingly high. The odds of avoiding becoming a property crime victim are about 2 times higher than in other cities across the state. In Arizona as a whole, each person has a 1 in 43 chance that they will become the victim of a property crime.
In the United States of America, the national average is approximately 19 property crime reports per 1,000 residents. This is lower than the Arizona state average of 23 property crime reports for each group of 1,000 residents. The city of Tempe, however, has nearly 2 times more property crime reports than the average stated above. There are approximately 42 property crimes reported in Tempe per 1,000 residents. Each person is far more likely to have a property crime committed against them while in the city of Tempe than in other cities across Arizona.
Local Violent Crime Rates
Violent crimes are considered far more severe offenses than property crimes, have harsher sentences, and are reported far less often than property crimes. Some examples of violent crimes are assault, rape, robbery, and murder. Even though these types of crimes are less common, they are still reported more often in Tempe than in many other cities.
The US national average shows that there are only 4 violent crimes reported per 1,000 residents. The state of Arizona has a total of 5 violent crime reports per 1,000 residents on average, which is slightly more dangerous than most cities across the nation. In Tempe. However, there are just more than 6 violent crimes reported within city limits for every 1,000 Tempe residents. This is higher than both the US national average and the average within the state of Arizona.
Each person in the state of Arizona has a 1 in 199 chance that they will be the victim of a violent crime. The odds of this occurring, however, are worse when in the city of Tempe specifically due to the higher amount of violent crimes that are reported there. In Tempe, 1 in every 162 people becomes the victim of a violent crime.
Tempe, Arizona’s Safest Neighborhoods and Areas
In every city, there are areas and neighborhoods that have higher crime rates. These are the places in town that are considered to be the most dangerous. This does, however, also mean that there are parts of the city that have lower crime reports overall. These are the areas that are the safest. The following list outlines some of these safer areas of Tempe, Arizona.
- McClintock Manor
- Raintree
- Sierra Tempe and Encore at Temple Village
- Evergreen
- Broadway Palms
- Arizona State University
- Los Tesoros
- Warner Estates
- Pheasant Ridge
- Hayden Square
- Lofts at Orchid house
- Optimist Park Northeast
- Optimist Park Southwest
- Maple Ash
- University Park
When looking for a home in the city, it is highly recommended that you search for availabilities in these safe areas. Even though they cannot provide you 100% security from becoming a victim of a crime, you are less likely to experience this type of tragedy while there than in other parts of Tempe.
