Seattle Democrats keep repeating the same empty mantra: their soft-on-crime agenda is “working.” The FBI just gave them a reality check—and it’s brutal.
According to the FBI’s 2024 national crime report, Seattle ranks as the fourth-worst big city in America for overall crime and the third-worst for property crime. Theft, burglary, and auto theft are happening here at rates nearly three times higher than the national average. That’s not a “success story”—that’s a neon warning sign flashing over City Hall.
A National Decline—But Not in Seattle
What makes this even more damning is that the rest of the country is seeing progress. Property crime declined nationwide in 2024, led by the steepest drop in auto thefts in over 40 years. But Seattle? The city bucked the trend and stayed stubbornly dangerous, clinging to its reputation as one of the most crime-ridden cities in America.
Democrats love to cherry-pick numbers to say “it’s not that bad.” Sure, Seattle didn’t crack the top ten for violent crime, but let’s be clear: the city’s violent crime rate is still more than double the national average. That’s not “less bad.” That’s still a complete failure.
Portland: Misery Loves Company
Seattle isn’t suffering alone. Its progressive neighbor to the south, Portland, is right there in the gutter too—coming in second-worst in the nation for both total and property crime. When you compare these two cities side by side, you see a pattern: progressive leadership, “compassionate” policies, and a refusal to hold criminals accountable equals skyrocketing crime.
It turns out when you decriminalize drugs, let repeat offenders cycle endlessly through the system, and treat police like the enemy, you don’t get safer communities—you get chaos.
The Human Cost
This isn’t just about stats. It’s about real families who can’t safely walk downtown, small businesses bleeding from constant theft, and parents dodging open-air drug markets while taking their kids to school. Residents are paying sky-high taxes for “public safety,” but all they’re getting in return is boarded-up shops, broken windows, and abandoned neighborhoods.
Seattle leaders insist their policies are rooted in “equity” and “compassion.” But what’s compassionate about letting crime destroy communities, drive out businesses, and trap residents in fear? The only equity at play here is equal misery for everyone stuck living under failed leadership.
Why It Keeps Getting Worse
Seattle’s crime problem isn’t a fluke—it’s the inevitable result of years of bad policy choices by Democrats who prioritize ideology over safety. They’ve slashed police budgets, tied officers’ hands, and sent a clear message that criminals face little to no consequences. At the same time, they’ve poured billions into homelessness and addiction programs that have only fueled the crisis, not fixed it.
The result? Criminals thrive while law-abiding citizens pay the price.
Time for Accountability
Seattle doesn’t have to be this way. It became one of America’s most crime-ridden big cities because its leaders made deliberate choices that encouraged lawlessness and punished responsibility. Until voters hold them accountable, expect Seattle to keep showing up on “worst of” lists—for all the wrong reasons.
The Emerald City isn’t shining anymore. It’s just Crime City—and Democrats built it.
