Lakewood, WA Crime Map

Lakewood, WA Crime Map & Neighborhood Safety Guide

Lakewood's Safety Profile at a Glance

With a population of 60,564 and an overall crime grade of C-, Lakewood, Washington presents a nuanced safety picture that rewards closer examination. At the neighborhood level, however, the data tells a more encouraging story: 100% of the analyzed neighborhoods earned a B grade or higher, placing every part of the city within the "Safe" tier. That gap between the city-wide C- and the neighborhood-level B reflects how aggregate crime counts interact with population density — Lakewood's 1,370 residents per square mile concentrate both activity and reporting in ways that can weigh down a citywide index even when local conditions are relatively stable.

Neighborhood Safety Breakdown

The Lakewood neighborhood itself holds a B+ safety grade and anchors the entire analysis, serving as both the safest and the only formally graded area in this dataset. With a median household income of $63,813 — notably above the city median of $55,723 — this area demonstrates the well-documented relationship between economic stability and lower crime rates. No neighborhoods in Lakewood scored a C, D, or F, meaning residents and prospective home buyers are not contending with pockets of severe or persistent criminal activity anywhere in the graded data. That said, the city's 14.7% poverty rate and 5.5% unemployment rate are contextual factors worth keeping in mind when evaluating long-term safety trends.

Understanding the Grade Distribution

One hundred percent of Lakewood's analyzed neighborhoods landed in the B tier — none reached an A, and none fell to C or below. While a perfect A-grade sweep would be the gold standard, a uniform B showing is a meaningful result for a city of this size and density. It suggests that safety conditions are relatively consistent across the areas measured, without the dramatic neighborhood-to-neighborhood swings that characterize many comparably sized cities. For a community where the median home value sits at $308,138 and median rent at $1,095, that consistency matters to anyone making a long-term housing commitment.

Property Crime vs. Violent Crime in Lakewood

Lakewood's C- overall grade is driven more heavily by property crime volume than by violent incidents. Cities near major military installations like Joint Base Lewis-McChord historically see elevated rates of vehicle-related theft and opportunistic burglary, patterns consistent with Lakewood's profile. Violent crime exists but does not define the city's risk landscape in the way property crime does. Residents near higher-traffic corridors tend to face greater exposure to theft and vandalism, while violent incidents are more sporadic and less geographically concentrated. Understanding this distinction is critical — a C- grade does not mean Lakewood is dangerous to walk around; it means property security deserves consistent attention.

How the Interactive Crime Map Supports Better Decisions

Lakewood's interactive crime map is a practical tool, not just an informational one. For daily commuters traveling through the city's busier corridors, the map highlights where vehicle break-ins cluster so they can choose parking locations more deliberately. Home buyers evaluating properties near the $308,138 median price point can layer crime data over neighborhood boundaries to assess whether a specific block aligns with the B+ grade that characterizes the broader Lakewood area. Renters weighing the $1,095 median rent against safety trade-offs can use time-filtered views to distinguish between isolated incidents and recurring patterns. The map turns raw data into decision-ready context — and for a city where the overall grade and neighborhood grades diverge as they do in Lakewood, that granularity is exactly what informed residents need.