Oregon – full of natural beauty, friendly people, and opportunity. Consistently ranked as one of the most sought after states to relocate to, it’s easy to see why the states popularity has boomed in recent years.
In February a popular online resource for all things security, SafeWise, released their latest report on Oregon’s safest cities as of 2019. To do so, the company analyzes the most up-to-date FBI crime data as their main source of info for their reports. If a city has insufficient data submitted through the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the company does not analyze their data due to lack of reliable info making the company one of the most trusted sources for safety information.
Using the FBI’s crime report data, SafeWise found that residents of Oregons 20 safest cities were 75% less likely to be a victim of a crime than the national average. As a whole, the state of Oregon is well below the national rates for both property and violent crimes. Oregon sees about 1.43 incidents per 1,000 people while the national average sits at almost 4.5 incidents per 1,000 people – all in all, we feel pretty confident saying Oregon is a relatively “safe” state when compared to the rest of the U.S.
Despite reporting such low numbers of crimes, no city in Oregon was completely immune from violent crimes. Our lowest reporting city, Monmouth, saw 13 incidents of violent crimes and was ranked the 3rd safest city in the state.
Our List Of The Safest Cities In Oregon
Below we have listed Oregon’s safest cities. If you would like to view the complete list, please click here.
Lake Oswego
Population: 39,318
Violent Crime: 0.38 per 1,000
Property Crime: 11.5 per 1,000
Sherwood
Population: 19,473
Violent Crime: 0.82 per 1,000
Property Crime: 11.71 per 1,000
Monmouth
Population: 10,282
Violent Crime: 1.26 per 1,000
Property Crime: 12.94 per 1,000
Corvallis
Population: 57,576
Violent Crime: 1.3 per 1,000
Property Crime: 25.01 per 1,000
McMinville
Population: 35,125
Violent Crime: 1.42 per 1,000
Property Crime: 25.74 per 1,000
Tualatin
Population: 27,781
Violent Crime: 1.44 per 1,000
Property Crime: 30.67 per 1,000
Milwaukie
Population: 21,033
Violent Crime: 1.52 per 1,000
Property Crime: 22.58 per 1,000
Canby
Population: 17,823
Violent Crime: 1.57 per 1,000
Property Crime: 12.68 per 1,000
Bend
Population: 93, 786
Violent Crime: 1.64 per 1,000
Property Crime: 20.90 per 1,000
Beaverton
Population: 98,897
Violent Crime: 1.74 per 1,000
Property Crime: 17.80 per 1,000
Silverton
Population: 10,136
Violent Crime: 1.78 per 1,000
Property Crime: 21.51 per 1,000
Ashland
Population: 21,908
Violent Crime: 1,87 per 1,000
Property Crime: 35.74 per 1,000
Tigard
Population: 52, 524
Violent Crime: 1.92 per 1,000
Property Crime: 27.21 per 1,000
Keizer
Population: 39, 397
Violent Crime: 2.01 per 1,000
Property Crime: 20.97 per 1,000
Roseburg
Population: 22,505
Violent Crime: 2.36 per 1,000
Property Crime: 56.79 per 1,000
Hillsboro
Population: 107, 433
Violent Crime: 2.49 per 1,000
Property Crime: 19.96 per 1,000
Forest Grove
Population: 24,520
Violent Crime: 2.53 per 1,000
Property Crime: 17.62 per 1,000
Central Point
Population: 18,525
Violent Crime: 2.65 per 1,000
Property Crime: 25.75 per 1,000
Lebanon
Population: 16,826
Violent Crime: 2.67 per 1,000
Property Crime: 36.91 per 1,000
Grants Pass
Population: 38,082
Violent Crime: 2.70 per 1,000
Property Crime: 42.72 per 1,000
More Oregon Safety Findings from SafeWise
- 60% of 2019’s safest cities in Oregon were also named some of the safest in the state in 2018.
- 55% of the cities listed were free of Homicide in 2019. Corvallis had the highest count (2 murders) out of any city listed above. Tillamook has Oregons highest murder rate in 2019 with 1.92 murders per 10,000 people.
- Surprisingly, Oregon identified digital security as the most concerning issue statewide.
- Despite digital security being reported as the top safety concern in the state, more than 50% of those surveyed expressed strong concern regarding violent crimes, and more specifically assault by a stranger.
What about Oregon’s most unsafe cities? We offer the data below:
Portland
Population: 647,805
Because it is the largest city in the state, and has a population of about 648,000, it’s no surprise that Portland has consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live in not only the state of Oregon, but the entire U.S. While the city isn’t generally regarded as a “dangerous” place, its size alone contributes to the high number of crimes reported each year. In 2018 Portland residents had a 1 in 192 chance of being robbed or assaulted, and a 18.3 chance of being the victim of robbery or arson. This is one great city with some really bleak stats.
Medford
Population: 82,800
Ranked as the third “most violent” city in the state, we were surprised to see Medford on the list of most dangerous places to live in Oregon. In 2018, Medford residents had a 1 in 205 chance of being robbed and a 1 in 213 chance of being the victim of any violent crime. Additionally, residents of Medford had a 1 in 17 chance of being the victim of a property crime.
Tillamook
Population: 5,295
For being one of the smaller communities in Oregon, Tillamook has a relatively high rate of crime when compared to other cities in the state. Overall, Tillamook ranks as the 8th most dangerous city in the state, 6th most dangerous in regards to violent crimes, and 17th most dangerous in regards to property crimes. The small population partially contributes to their extremely high number of property crimes.
Cities Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our information on the safest cities in Oregon. If you are looking to possibly move to Oregon, be sure to also read our article: Visit Oregon relocation guide.
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