Lawton, OK Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Lawton, OK

What overall crime grade does Lawton, OK receive?

Lawton earns an overall crime grade of C for 2026, placing it in the middle tier of U.S. cities for public safety. This composite grade reflects both property and violent crime frequencies relative to national benchmarks. A C grade means Lawton is neither among the safest nor the most dangerous cities of its size — residents in neighborhoods near Cache Road and suburban areas like Meadowbrook tend to experience conditions closer to a B range, while higher-activity commercial corridors pull the citywide average down. Checking the interactive crime map regularly can help you see how specific zip codes and districts score within that broader C range.

How does Lawton's poverty and unemployment rate affect its crime statistics?

Lawton's 18.4% poverty rate and 7.5% unemployment rate are both above national averages — the U.S. poverty rate hovers near 12–13% and unemployment near 3–4% in recent years. Research consistently shows a correlation between economic stress and property crime in particular. In Lawton's case, with a median household income of $47,690 and a median home value of just $110,594, financial pressure is a real factor in neighborhoods where burglary and vehicle theft rates are elevated. Areas near Fort Sill, which benefit from stable military employment, tend to show lower crime activity, while districts with higher concentrations of poverty show more frequent property crime incidents on the map.

What types of crime are most common in Lawton?

Property crimes — including motor vehicle theft, burglary, and larceny — make up the largest share of reported incidents in Lawton, consistent with the national pattern where property offenses account for roughly 70–75% of total crime in mid-sized cities. Violent crimes such as aggravated assault and robbery occur at a lower but still notable frequency, contributing to the city's C overall grade. Substance-related offenses also appear across multiple neighborhoods and are often a secondary driver of both property and violent crime clusters. The crime map's heat layers allow you to filter by category, so you can distinguish, for example, whether a hotspot near a commercial corridor is driven primarily by theft or by assault incidents.

Which Lawton neighborhoods are considered safest?

Based on available crime distribution data, neighborhoods in the vicinity of Fort Sill and areas along Cache Road in the northwest corridor — including communities like Meadowbrook and Fort Sill Heights — tend to record lower crime densities. The military presence near Fort Sill creates a stabilizing effect on adjacent residential areas, with active community oversight and lower vacancy rates. These pockets perform noticeably better than Lawton's citywide C grade would suggest. By contrast, high-traffic commercial zones and neighborhoods with higher poverty concentrations show more frequent incident pins on the map. Using the time-filter feature to look at 90-day rolling data gives the most current picture of which areas are trending up or down.

Is Lawton, OK a safe place to live in 2026?

With a population of 90,487 and a population density of 443 people per square mile, Lawton is a moderately dense mid-sized city where safety varies meaningfully by neighborhood. The city's C crime grade signals that caution is warranted in certain areas, but it also means that a significant portion of Lawton — particularly lower-density residential zones and military-adjacent communities — is quite livable. Median rent of $810/month and a median home value of $110,594 make Lawton one of the more affordable cities in Oklahoma, which attracts families and retirees willing to stay informed about local conditions. Residents who actively use the crime map, participate in neighborhood watch programs, and stay connected to Lawton Police Department updates consistently report feeling safe in their day-to-day routines.

How can I use Lawton's crime map to make safer decisions?

The crime map translates raw incident data into actionable visual intelligence. Here are the most effective ways to use it given Lawton's C grade profile:

• Filter by crime type — separate property crime clusters from violent crime hotspots to understand the specific risk profile of a neighborhood you're considering.
• Use the time slider — a spike in incidents over the last 30 days in an area like a Cache Road commercial strip may be a temporary pattern rather than a long-term trend.
• Compare density vs. incident count — in a city with 443 residents per square mile, a neighborhood with 10 incidents may actually be safer per capita than a sparser area with 6 incidents.
• Cross-reference with economic indicators — areas where Lawton's 18.4% poverty rate is most concentrated tend to show higher property crime; the map's demographic overlay can confirm this.