Arizona has become a safer state during the past decade, with both violent and property crime steadily declining.
According to recent statewide data from usafacts.org, Arizona records about 422 violent crimes and 1,792 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
That statewide improvement, however, doesn’t tell the whole story. Crime rates vary significantly depending on where you live, with Arizona’s largest cities facing different public safety challenges than many of the state’s suburbs.
Phoenix and Tucson continue to report the highest crime rates in Arizona, largely due to their larger populations, busy tourism sectors and broader socioeconomic challenges. Tucson consistently has the higher overall crime rate on a per-capita basis, while property crimes such as larceny and motor vehicle theft remain the most common offenses in both cities. Recent waves of vehicle thefts have also pushed property crime totals higher.
By comparison, many suburbs in the Phoenix area rank among the safest communities in both Arizona and the U.S. Cities including Gilbert, Scottsdale, Oro Valley and Surprise consistently report violent and property crime rates well below the statewide average, continuing a long-standing trend of lower crime in suburban communities.
Violent crime has followed a less predictable path over the past decade. Phoenix saw increases in several violent crime categories between 2010 and 2020, with some offenses climbing by roughly 25% before statewide numbers began declining again in recent years, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Property crime has shown more consistent progress. Statewide totals have steadily fallen throughout the past decade, including recent year-over-year declines of more than 12%, suggesting continued success in reducing theft and other property-related offenses.
Overall, Arizona’s crime picture continues to improve, but the data make one thing clear: where you live plays a major role in the type and frequency of crime you’re likely to experience.
Phoenix
City of Phoenix data shows an overall crime rate of about 31 to 33 incidents per 1,000 residents, placing the city slightly above the national average. Even so, FBI data shows Phoenix remains safer than many U.S. cities of comparable size.
Violent crime rose sharply in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2023, total violent offenses were about 10% higher than in 2019, while homicides had increased by roughly 42%.
Those trends have started to reverse. Police data show violent crime has declined over the past several years, helped by a substantial drop in homicides.
Today, Phoenix averages about 7.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, giving residents roughly a 1-in-126 chance of becoming the victim of a violent crime. Aggravated assault and robbery account for most violent offenses reported in the city.
Property crime remains the city’s most common public safety issue. Phoenix records approximately 25.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents each year, with larceny and theft making up the largest share of reported offenses. Residential burglaries have declined to below the national average, but motor vehicle theft continues to exceed national trends and remains one of Phoenix’s biggest crime challenges.
Tucson
Tucson reports a higher overall crime rate than Phoenix, largely because of its elevated property crime rate.
According to city data, Tucson averages about 39 crimes per 1,000 residents each year, compared with roughly 31 per 1,000 in Phoenix. While Tucson records more overall crime, Phoenix has the higher violent crime rate on a per-capita basis.
Phoenix averages about 7.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, compared with roughly 5.9 in Tucson. That translates to about a 1-in-126 chance of becoming the victim of a violent crime in Phoenix versus approximately 1 in 171 in Tucson.
Both cities, however, have reported encouraging declines in violent crime recently. Tucson Police Department statistics show Part I violent crime fell 16% year over year, while homicides dropped to 54 in 2025 — the city’s lowest annual total since 2019. Phoenix has also recorded double-digit declines in homicides following the spike seen after the pandemic.
Property crime remains Tucson’s biggest public safety concern, according to reolink.com. The city averages roughly 33 property crimes per 1,000 residents, compared with about 23 per 1,000 in Phoenix. That means Tucson residents face approximately a 1-in-34 chance of becoming the victim of a property crime.
Vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft continues to affect both metro areas. Auto thefts — driven in part by well-publicized security vulnerabilities in certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles — remain among the fastest-growing property crimes in both cities. Tucson has reported auto theft rates about 24% above its five-year average, while Phoenix continues to see similarly elevated levels.
FBI data show crime patterns vary widely within each city. In Phoenix, higher crime rates are concentrated in neighborhoods such as Maryvale, South Mountain and Central City, while communities including Ahwatukee Foothills and Desert View consistently report lower crime levels.
In Tucson, crime is generally more concentrated on the city’s south and west sides and in neighborhoods north of downtown. Conversely, communities such as Catalina Foothills, SaddleBrooke and Oro Valley report some of the lowest crime rates in southern Arizona.
Matt Loeschman has had two separate stints at Independent Newsmedia. He began as a reporter covering Peoria and later Surprise from 2000-2009. In 2017, he returned to Arizona and INI as the news editor of the Daily News-Sun (now the Phoenix Independent). He previously covered the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League for more than a decade.
Community: During high school football season since 2017, he contributes live postgame radio reports to the AzPreps 365 Friday Night Football Wrapup Show. He supports organizations such as Phoenix Children’s, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Valley and the American Cancer Society.
Education: The University of Texas at Austin majoring in Journalism-News and Public Affairs.
Random Fact: He can sing and he has been fortunate to meet many famous people during his journalism career including First Lady Hillary Clinton, King of Country Music George Strait and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey. Attended all 4 home games of the 2001 World Series.
Hobbies: Watching and playing a wide variety of sports, including golf, tennis, pickleball and softball. Playing PlayStation 5, working out, shopping and reading.
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