What are WA’s recent crime rates? Report shows trends, including for homicides
Overall crime is trending down in Washington, according to data presented to state lawmakers Thursday morning.
The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs delivered its “Crime in Washington 2024” report during a Dec. 4 House Community Safety work session.
In 2024, Washington’s total crime dropped 8.4% compared with the previous year, according to WASPC’s report. Violent crime declined 6.4% over that same time span, including murders (-17%), robberies (-15.6%) and aggravated assault (-4.6%). Hate crimes also saw a 10% decrease, down to 516 occurrences.
Property crimes plummeted by 13.3%, per the findings, as did vehicle thefts (-37%).
Violent crime fell nationally by 4.5% last year compared with 2023, according to FBI data released in August.
The U.S. Department of Justice noted in a memo on violent crime reduction from 2021 to 2025 that the nation witnessed a sharp increase in violent crime during the pandemic. Since that COVID-19 peak, violent crime stats started to plunge in 2023, with certain major cities seeing sizable drops in homicide rates.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion told Axios in July that the recent decline in Washington’s violent crime rate showed that 2024’s decrease in gun violence was “not a fluke.”
James McMahan, WASPC’s policy director, highlighted the state’s lowered murder rate, which went from 376 murders in 2023 to 312 last year.
“Homicide, murder, is down 17% year over year. This is great news to celebrate,” he said at Thursday’s meeting. “However, we’re still up 55% over the six-year period.”
Total crime may have decreased in Washington last year, but there were certain upticks.
Crimes against society – including gambling offenses, drug and narcotics violations, animal cruelty and prostitution – spiked 32% in 2024 compared with the prior year, according to WASPC.
While overall crime may have gone down in 2024, it is still significantly higher than it was in 2019, McMahan said.
In August, WASPC pointed out in a news release that measuring crime rates in 2024 against 2019, before the COVID pandemic, there were multiple increases in key areas. For example, while the national murder rate had dropped about 3.55% during that time, the state’s rate jumped 42.46%. Violent crime at the national level decreased 6.28% but rose 8.16% in Washington from 2019 to 2024, according to the release.
On Thursday McMahan flagged another concern in the latest WASPC report: Domestic violence offenses in 2024 made up nearly half of all crimes against persons.
“I think that should be startling to us all – not only to you all as policymakers, but all of us as individuals,” McMahan said.
For the first time in several years, Washington’s per capita officer rate ballooned with a net gain of 310 officers, he added. In 2024, Washington counted 1.38 officers per capita whereas the national average was 2.32 per capita.
The state still lags behind the rest of the country, ranking 51st in the U.S. in police staffing for the past 15 years.
Another worrisome trend, McMahan said: a steep rise in animal cruelty. Over the past six years there was a 148% spike in such crimes, he added.
McMahan noted that a couple years ago, lawmakers asked him to look into retail theft. At the time official data showed a decrease, even though those in the law enforcement field were hearing anecdotally about a rise. That’s because retailers reported less frequently to police since they felt officers would not respond or take action, not because thefts were down, he said.
State Rep. Roger Goodman, a Kirkland Democrat and chair of the House Community Safety Committee, described retail theft as a “huge problem” and said lawmakers will mull legislation to address it.
The 60-day 2026 legislative session begins Jan. 12.