Is Surprise, AZ Safe?
Surprise, AZ has a Safety Score of 72/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 40% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
Safety Context Score: 72/100 (Grade B)
CrimeContext scores Surprise on a 0-100 scale that weights per-capita violent crime against the national average (40%), per-capita property crime (30%), and the 5-year direction of total crime (30%). A grade of B means Surprise sits better than the typical U.S. city once population is taken into account. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
We never display raw crime counts. A large city will always log more total incidents than a small town; the only fair comparison is the rate per 100,000 residents, which is what every number on this page uses.
Surprise Crime Rates per 100,000 vs National Average
| Crime Type | Surprise | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 219.5 | 363.8 | -40% |
| Property Crime | 1723.3 | 1832.3 | -6% |
| Murder | 6.6 | 5.7 | +16% |
| Robbery | 52.7 | 73.0 | -28% |
| Aggravated Assault | 151.5 | 246.4 | -39% |
| Burglary | 275.7 | 269.8 | +2% |
| Larceny-Theft | 1361.4 | 1401.9 | -3% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 293.0 | 318.3 | -8% |
| 5-Year Trend | -6.0% | ||
| Population | 141,664 | ||
All values are incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR/NIBRS). Per-capita rates only — never raw counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Surprise, AZ has a Safety Score of 72/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 40% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
Surprise, AZ has a violent crime rate of 219.5 per 100,000 residents (40% below the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 1723.3 per 100,000 (6% below the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
Surprise has a murder rate of 6.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 5.7. Like every figure here, this is a per-capita rate — raw homicide counts without population context can badly mislead.
Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years. Over the past 5 years, the total crime rate in Surprise has changed by -6.0%.
Violent crime in Surprise is 40% below the U.S. average and property crime is 6% below average. Surprise's overall Safety Context Score is 72/100 (grade B).
More about Surprise
Surprise, AZ has a Safety Score of 72/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 40% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
The data source behind this answer is the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2026.