If you’re new to the area or thinking about moving to the suburbs, you may be asking, “Is Beaverton safe?” As Portland works to address safety concerns, it’s understandable that many people are wondering if crime is spreading to outlying areas. Statistics show that Beaverton has less crime than Portland.

What are the crime rates in Beaverton?

Portland’s crime rate is currently 54.4% higher than Beaverton, making this area a safer place to live. Beaverton’s safety is clearly illustrated when comparing the statistics to state and national averages.

Violent crimes per 1000 residents:

Beaverton: 2.55

Portland: 7.49

Oregon: 3.59

National median: 4.00

Chances of becoming a victim of violent crime:

In Beaverton - 1 in 393

In Portland - 1 in 133

In Oregon - 1 in 279

Property Crimes per 1000 residents:

Beaverton: 24.02

Oregon: 28.18

Portland: 58.9

National median: 19

Chances of becoming a victim of property crime:

In Beaverton - 1 in 42

In Portland - 1 in 17

In Oregon - 1 in 35

One of the aspects contributing to the safety of Beaverton is the Beaverton Police Department (BPD). While other cities are struggling to fill vacant positions, at the end of 2022, BPD was at 93% capacity with 141 sworn officers and 46 in training. Another impressive aspect of BPD is their response time to calls with an imminent or immediate threat to life or crimes in progress at 6.27 minutes. In comparison, a news report stated that Portland’s 2022 response time to urgent calls was 20.4 minutes.

Another factor impacting crime in Beaverton is the addition of new Neighborhood Programs. For example, Carey Hughes Homes started a Neighborhood Watch in the Murrayhill area of South Beaverton in 2022. By connecting neighbors through group texts and face-to-face interactions, Neighborhood Watch groups make it easier to report suspicious activity in the area and posted signs let unwanted visitors know that crime is not tolerated and will be prosecuted.

Beaverton is a large suburb with 99,801 residents and encompassing 19.7 square miles. The city is broken into 11 sub-areas and crime statistics are available for each respective neighborhood. If the safety of your new home is a concern, it’s important to look at the reports for each area being considered. BPD makes it easy with reports highlighting the reported crimes for each neighborhood by month. CLICK HERE to see the reports. You can also visit the Crime Grades website for a color-coded neighborhood map.

If you have additional questions about Beaverton neighborhoods, please send us a message. We’d love to share insights about neighborhood safety, schools, amenities, etc. for various areas.