Crime in Big Lake: the figures, without a grade
Nearby, 3 communities within 10 miles carry a Safety Grade. Big Lake has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Skagit County. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Big Lake alone, and no Safety Grade. The closest graded town is Mount Vernon, 3 miles away, at C+.
What stands out about safety in Big Lake
Policed by the county
Big Lake is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Big Lake. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Washington towns with their own police figures are Mount Vernon (C+, 3 mi), Burlington (D, 6 mi), Sedro-Woolley (A−, 8 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Big Lake. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Skagit County without police of their own, which include Big Lake.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest Washington towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | C+ | 3 mi | 1.7 | 17.7 |
| Burlington | D | 6 mi | 1.6 | 58.7 |
| Sedro-Woolley | A− | 8 mi | 0.4 | 7.7 |
| Stanwood | B | 11 mi | 1.4 | 9.8 |
| Arlington | C− | 16 mi | 3.2 | 21.0 |
| Anacortes | B− | 19 mi | 0.9 | 16.7 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Big Lake. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Big Lake.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
One person died in crashes on Big Lake’s roads in 2019–2023
Big Lake had 1 fatal crash in five years, in which one person died; 1 was a pedestrian.
That is about what is typical for Washington towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (0.0 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Big Lake’s size would see about 0 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Big Lake’s own rate (8.6) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Big Lake and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | C+ | 1.7 | 17.7 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Big Lake
Is Big Lake, WA safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Big Lake. The nearest Washington towns with a grade are Mount Vernon (C+, 3 mi), Burlington (D, 6 mi), Sedro-Woolley (A−, 8 mi).
Who polices Big Lake?
The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office. Big Lake is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Skagit County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Big Lake.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.