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Published October 27, 2026

Is Bothell, WA Safe? Crime Rates and Safety Data

Written by Mindy Newton

Is Bothell, WA Safe? Crime Rates and Safety Data header image.

Updated on: October 29, 2026

Written by Mindy Newton

Most crime reported in Bothell, WA, is property crime, such as vehicle prowls and package theft, while violent offenses make up a much smaller share of the totals its police department reports each year to the state and FBI. Those figures, and the city's position on the King and Snohomish county line, shape what anyone living in Bothell should check before choosing a home.

Key takeaway

Bothell's violent and property crime rates are published each year in the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) Crime in Washington report, alongside statewide figures for the same year. Most reported crime in Bothell is property crime. Some homes with a Bothell mailing address sit outside city limits and are policed by a county sheriff. Check the specific address on the free official crime maps.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for home buyers, renters and people relocating who want sourced crime data before choosing a home in Bothell.

Bothell crime and safety at a glance

WASPC's Crime in Washington lists Bothell Police under King County.
Frequent reports: vehicle prowls, package theft, burglary and vehicle theft.
One city police department covers both county sides.
City crime portal holds five years plus the current year.
Unincorporated addresses: use the King or Snohomish County Sheriff map.

Bothell crime rates compared with Washington and the U.S.

The most direct source for Bothell's crime rate is WASPC's annual Crime in Washington report. It lists Bothell Police as a reporting agency and classifies the city under King County for reporting purposes, even though Bothell also extends into Snohomish County. The FBI Crime Data Explorer carries the national figures for the same reporting year.

Rates are usually expressed per 1,000 residents: the number of reported offenses divided by the city's population, then multiplied by 1,000. That lets a city of Bothell's size be compared fairly with the state and the country. The population behind Bothell's rate is the whole city, on both county sides. Reported crime counts only incidents that reach police, so offenses that go unreported do not appear in any of these figures.

Some data sites show a single violent-crime number per 1,000 residents next to a national average. These often leave out the data year and property crime. Check any such number against the WASPC figures for the same year before relying on it.

Violent crime vs. property crime

Property-related incidents account for the large majority of reported crime in Bothell, and violent offenses such as assault and robbery make up a much smaller share. Motor vehicle theft, residential burglary and package theft are among the most frequent reports. Bothell Police notes that car break-ins spike during the holiday shopping season. Many are crimes of opportunity aimed at vehicles that were not locked or had valuables left in plain sight.

Bothell's King County and Snohomish County sides

Bothell lies in both King and Snohomish counties. The southern part of the city, including Downtown Bothell, is in King County, and the northern part, including Canyon Park, is in Snohomish County.

Bothell Police is the single police agency for the whole city, and its figures are reported for the city as a whole rather than by county side.

A Bothell mailing address is not always inside city limits. Parts of Bothell ZIP codes such as 98011, 98012 and 98021 include unincorporated land, where the King County Sheriff's Office or the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office handles policing. City crime rates do not cover those addresses.

Bothell crime trends over recent years

The direction of Bothell's violent and property crime is easiest to read by setting several years of the same source side by side. WASPC's Crime in Washington editions for 2022, 2023 and 2024 each carry a Bothell entry, so the counts and rates for each category can be compared year to year. The city's crime portal holds five years of historical data plus the current year, which shows the same pattern down to specific offense types. Compare like with like: the same offense category, from the same source, across each year.

Bothell vs. nearby cities

Bothell's neighbors report to the same WASPC report, which gives one consistent way to compare them. Bothell is a separate city from Seattle with its own police department, so Seattle Police figures do not include it. Seattle's rates come from the Seattle Police Department's entry. Kenmore and Woodinville are policed by the King County Sheriff's Office under contract, and the sheriff's crime data maps cover its contract cities. Mill Creek and Kirkland appear under their own police departments.

To test claims that Bothell has lower crime than other parts of King County, compare its rates with the other King County agencies in the same edition. Use per-1,000 rates rather than raw counts, which favor smaller places. Compare violent and property rates separately, because a city can sit above its neighbors on one and below them on the other.

How to check crime data for a specific Bothell address

For the blocks you are considering, use the free official tools.

Confirm the jurisdiction: Check whether the address is inside Bothell city limits or in unincorporated county land.
Inside city limits: Use the Bothell Police Public Safety Transparency Portal, linked from the city's interactive maps page as the Police Crime Dashboard. It maps offense and arrest statistics and traffic infractions, filters by offense type and date range, and updates each morning after NORCOM posts dispatch information. Locations are shifted to intersections for privacy, so you cannot search a home address, and no time-of-day filter is documented. Raw CSV data can be downloaded.
Unincorporated Snohomish County: Use the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Community Crime Map, which tracks certain calls for service and criminal activity in its jurisdiction.
Unincorporated King County: Use the King County Sheriff's Office crime data maps, where map points are approximate and offense report data from 2020 onward is updated daily.

Neighborhood forums and social posts reflect individual experiences, so check them against the incident data for the blocks you are considering. If a post describes police activity or an incident near a home you are weighing, look for it on the city portal the next morning.

Practical home safety steps for Bothell residents

Vehicles: Lock your car, roll up all windows, remove valuables and park in well-lit, visible areas. If you see a prowl in progress, do not confront the suspect: call 9-1-1.
Packages: Track deliveries, sign up for delivery notifications, leave delivery instructions, use a lockbox or parcel box, ship to a workplace or pickup location, or ask a trusted neighbor to collect them. Report every package theft regardless of value, since reports help detectives find patterns.
Home security: Install motion-activated porch lights, consider a monitored alarm system, and photograph valuables and record serial numbers for recovery and insurance.

Some non-emergency crimes can be reported online through the city's CopLogic tool. For other non-emergency calls, use the dispatch line at 425-577-5656.

Residents inside city limits can join Bothell Police Crime Prevention Services, which include neighborhood block watches and personal safety education. There is no fee; sign up by calling that line or visiting in person.

Frequently asked questions

What are the crime statistics for Downtown Bothell at night?

Bothell Police does not publish downtown-only crime figures, offense rankings or night-time breakdowns. You can narrow the city's Public Safety Transparency Portal map to the downtown area yourself, though it has no documented time-of-day filter.

Where is Bothell in Washington?

Bothell is 11 miles northeast of Seattle, on the King and Snohomish county line.

Is it expensive to live in Bothell?

Housing is the largest part of the Bothell cost of living for most households, and Bothell home prices vary by ZIP code and property type.

Is Bothell a good place to live?

Safety is one input, and the rest depends on commute, schools and lifestyle. Daily drives depend on I-405 and SR 522 traffic, so commute times from Bothell are worth testing at rush hour. The Northshore School District is the main public school provider for schools in Bothell. The Sammamish River Trail and the shared UW Bothell and Cascadia College campus are central to moving to Bothell and to the city's history.