Jews almost eight times likelier than Muslims and Arabs to be targets of hate crimes in Seattle area since 2023🤬
Since 2023, Seattle, Washington has recorded 384 hate crimes, including 35 (9.1%) targeting Jews. Jews comprise about 1% of the Seattle metro area, while Arabs and Muslims comprise 2%, according to Pew’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study. Arabs and Muslims were targets of nine hate crimes (2.3%), meaning Jews were about 7.78 times likelier to be targeted, according to Seattle Police Department data through Jan. 31.
Seattle classifies hate-related incidents as “hate crimes,” “bias element” crimes, involving hateful remarks as a secondary motivation, and “biased incidents,” which are noncriminal, First Amendment-protected hate speech. Bias crimes coordinator Jillian Williamson said such crimes are traditionally underreported due to access, language barriers, fear of police or retaliation, and beliefs that reporting will accomplish nothing.
Since 2023, Seattle recorded 1,454 bias-element crimes, including 36 (2.5%) targeting Jews and 35 (2.4%) Arabs and Muslims, plus 896 biased incidents, including 58 (6.5%) targeting Jews and 20 (2.2%) Arabs and Muslims. Jews were therefore more than twice as likely to be targeted in bias-element crimes and 5.8 times likelier in biased incidents.
In 2026, January saw 68 incidents, including 13 hate crimes, 28 bias-element crimes and 27 biased incidents. Four targeted Jews, all hate crimes; five targeted Arabs and Muslims.
In 2025, 919 incidents included 126 hate crimes, 495 bias-element crimes and 298 biased incidents. Jews accounted for 50 (5.4%), including 12 hate crimes, while Arabs and Muslims accounted for 22 (2.4%), including one hate crime. Jews were targeted in 12 times as many hate crimes and about 125% as many incidents overall.
In 2024, Jews accounted for 28 (3.3%) of 839 incidents, versus 15 (1.8%) targeting Arabs and Muslims. In 2023, Jews accounted for 47 (5.2%) of 908 incidents, versus 22 (2.4%). In 2022, the last pre-Oct. 7 year, Jews accounted for 31 (3.5%) of 880 incidents, versus 21 (2.4%) targeting Arabs and Muslims.
