Grand Rapids, MI Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Crime in Grand Rapids, MI

Is Grand Rapids safe?

Grand Rapids earns a city-wide Safety Rating of B (Safe) based on analysis of 37 neighborhoods. A full 81% of neighborhoods received a Grade A or B, meaning the vast majority of the city falls into the safe category. Only 5.4% of neighborhoods — Black Hills and Lake Eastbrook — received a D grade, and no neighborhood received an F. In the most recent 90-day period, Grand Rapids recorded 1,734 total crime incidents, with arrests (34%) and assaults (21%) making up the largest shares. Property-related incidents like theft (11%) and retail theft (6%) were comparatively lower. Neighborhoods such as Leffingwell / Twin Lakes (A+), Richmond / Oakleigh (A), and Ridgemoor Park (A) consistently rank among the safest, each with median household incomes above $79,000. While the city's overall crime grade is a C, the neighborhood-level picture is meaningfully better for most residents.

What is the crime rate in Grand Rapids?

Grand Rapids recorded 1,734 crime incidents over the last 90 days across all categories. Breaking that down: arrests led at 34% (598 incidents), followed by assaults at 21% (363 incidents) and drug offenses at 14% (250 incidents). Theft accounted for 11% (193 incidents), while retail theft (6%), fraud (5%), DUI/traffic incidents (5%), and vandalism (3%) rounded out the remainder. At the neighborhood level, 45.9% of Grand Rapids neighborhoods earned an A grade and another 35.1% earned a B — together covering 81% of analyzed areas. The higher-crime outliers include Black Hills (D) and Lake Eastbrook (D+), which pull the city's overall grade down to a C. Consulting the interactive crime map helps pinpoint where specific incident types are concentrated.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Grand Rapids?

Of the 37 neighborhoods analyzed, 17 (45.9%) received an A grade and 13 (35.1%) received a B grade. The top-ranked neighborhood is Leffingwell / Twin Lakes (A+), with a median household income of $92,392 — the highest among all ranked areas. Shawnee Park (A-) follows closely with a median income of $87,733, while Richmond / Oakleigh (A) and Ridgemoor Park (A) both sit above $79,000 in median income. Fulton Heights (A) and North End (A) are also strong performers, with populations of 1,259 and 7,418 respectively. Larger safe neighborhoods like Shawmut Hills (A, pop. 10,714) offer safety at scale. In contrast, areas like Heartside (C+), Baxter (C-), and Black Hills (D) show notably higher crime activity and should be reviewed carefully on the crime map before visiting or relocating.

What types of crime are most common in Grand Rapids?

Based on the most recent 90-day incident data, arrests are the single largest category at 34% of all incidents (598 total), reflecting active law enforcement activity across the city. Assault is the most prevalent violent crime type at 21% (363 incidents) — more than double the rate of theft (11%, 193 incidents). Drug offenses rank third at 14% (250 incidents), suggesting ongoing enforcement in that area. Property crimes are present but proportionally smaller: retail theft accounts for just 6% (100 incidents) and fraud for 5% (90 incidents). Vandalism is the least common tracked category at 3% (53 incidents). DUI and traffic-related offenses made up 5% (87 incidents). This breakdown suggests that violent and drug-related activity are more pressing concerns in Grand Rapids than pure property crime, which differs from the national pattern where property crime typically dominates.

Is Grand Rapids a good place to live?

For most residents, Grand Rapids offers a livable environment backed by solid neighborhood-level safety data. 81% of analyzed neighborhoods carry a Grade A or B, and the city's median home value of $155,388 remains accessible relative to many Midwest metros. The median household income of $51,333 and median rent of $947 reflect a moderately affordable cost of living. That said, the city does face economic headwinds — a poverty rate of 19.9% and unemployment rate of 5.8% are above national averages, and those pressures correlate with higher crime in neighborhoods like Black Hills (D) and Southeast Community / SECA (C). Families and professionals prioritizing safety tend to gravitate toward Shawmut Hills (A, pop. 10,714), North End (A, pop. 7,418), and Ridgemoor Park (A, pop. 7,475) — all large, well-established neighborhoods with strong safety grades. Overall, Grand Rapids rewards informed neighborhood selection, and the crime map is a practical starting point for that research.

Which neighborhoods in Grand Rapids have the highest crime?

Of the 37 neighborhoods analyzed, two received a D grade: Black Hills and Lake Eastbrook — together representing 5.4% of analyzed areas. No neighborhood received an F grade. The next tier includes Baxter (C-) and Southeast Community / SECA (C), both of which fall below the city median in safety. Heartside (C+) rounds out the higher-concern areas, though it sits closer to the city average. These five neighborhoods collectively represent about 18.9% of analyzed areas and account for a disproportionate share of the assault (21% of all incidents city-wide) and drug offense (14%) activity tracked in recent months. If you are evaluating housing or planning frequent visits to these areas, cross-referencing the interactive crime map with incident type filters is strongly recommended to understand which specific blocks or corridors see the most activity.