South Bend is a city of 147,200 in St. Joseph County and the main city of the South Bend metro area, home to 324,600 · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in South Bend?
South Bend earns a B+ for property crime, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 63% of Americans live. Theft makes up 41% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades A-.
B+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 735 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
37% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than South Bend as a whole, and 63% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Bend scores 735.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in South Bend, IN at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Bend, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in South Bend
One part of South Bend stands out for vehicle theft. Car thefts in Near Westside Neighborhood, Nearnorthwest & Howard Park-East Bank, in central South Bend, run at more than double the rate in the rest of the city.
Burglaries happen at homes more often than nationally. In South Bend, 75% of reported burglaries happen at homes, against 57% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in South Bend
Most of South Bend grades well for property crime: 71% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Property crime grades across South Bend run from A+ to D.
71%29%
A or B 71%C 29%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Wooded Estates, northeastCar thefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of South Bend.A-814
2Fnw, Council Oak & Lasalle, northwestCar thefts run at about half the rate in the rest of South Bend.A-790
3Keller Park, North Shore Triangle & Harters Heights, northClose to the rest of South Bend on most crimes.B+757
4Southeast Quality, Twyckenham Hills & Southeast Pond, southeastBurglaries run about 30% lower here than in the rest of South Bend.B+732
5Rum Village, southClose to the rest of South Bend on most crimes.B+697
6Westside, Lasalle Park & Nws Cooperative Alliance, westThefts run about 50% higher here than in the rest of South Bend.B639
7River Park & Northeast, eastCar thefts run at about double the rate in the rest of South Bend.B616
8Near Westside Neighborhood, Nearnorthwest & Howard Park-East Bank, centralBurglaries run at about double the rate in the rest of South Bend.C+514
Neighborhood areas of South Bend, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Property crime rates and types in South Bend
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Bend has about 29 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% more than the US as a whole and 54% more than Indiana.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in South Bend, about 41% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in South Bend
South Bend has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Car thefts happen most often at homes: 37% of them, against 33% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (75%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (37%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (39%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in South Bend and nearby cities
South Bend has the most property crime of its 8 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Bend. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, South Bend has more property crime than 62% of them.
Empty homes, parking lots and walkability in South Bend
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set South Bend apart: it has 10.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 3.1 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and they run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.10.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 88% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 86% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 78% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 55% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.8.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 67% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for South Bend: F (1 of 100).under 1 trip an hourUS: noneLower than for 67% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.49 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 62% of US city residents
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs South Bend
Property crime costs South Bend about $32 million a year, or $216 per resident and about $538 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$2.6 million
$18
Theft
$8.8 million
$60
Vehicle theft
$8.0 million
$54
Arson
$590,000
$4
Vandalism
$12 million
$80
Total
$32 million
$216
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
