The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Antrim County, MI

Antrim County is home to 24,100 residents and includes Elk Rapids and Mancelona · Updated November 2026

Is Antrim County, MI safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Antrim County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 86% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Antrim County run from A+ to B, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 952 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

86% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Antrim County as a whole, and 14% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Antrim County scores 952.

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 crime than most US neighborhoods.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 944 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 964 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Antrim County

Map of Antrim County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Antrim County, MI at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Antrim County, 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 in Antrim County

Reported rapes run above the US rate. Antrim County has less crime than the US as a whole, 41% below the US rate, but more reported rapes: 0.69 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.38 nationally.

Thefts and acts of vandalism both run low. In Antrim County, each runs at about half the US rate: 6.2 thefts and 2.8 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 5.5 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Antrim County

Every part of Antrim County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Antrim County run from A+ to B; 93% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Kewadin2,320A+974
  2. 2Ellsworth1,610A+973
  3. 3Alden1,660A+967

Most crime

  1. 1Elk Rapids2,120A880
  2. 2Mancelona5,320A917
  3. 3Central Lake2,560A+948

Cities and towns in Antrim County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the west side has the least crime and the Mancelona area the most.


Crime rates and types in Antrim County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Antrim County has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 41% less than the US as a whole and 37% less than Michigan.

Overall crime

Violent crime

Property crime

Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.

Assault is the most common crime in Antrim County, about 46% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.040.05
RapeA170.690.38
RobberyA+under 10.040.62
AssaultA24110.012.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+341.42.4
TheftA+1506.213.1
Vehicle theftA+140.592.7
ArsonA+30.120.12
VandalismA+672.85.5

Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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.


How Antrim County compares with nearby counties

Antrim County has less crime than 6 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Antrim CountyA+952A+A+24,100
Kalkaska County 18 milesA+928AA+18,200
Charlevoix County 19 milesA+953A+A+26,100
Otsego County 26 milesA+947A+A+25,600
Leelanau County 26 milesA+978A+A+22,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Grand Traverse County 27 milesA+926AA+96,200
Crawford County 34 milesA+970A+A+13,400
Emmet County 34 milesA+963A+A+34,100
Benzie County 46 milesA+950A+A+18,300
Missaukee County 46 milesA+942A+A+15,200
Wexford County 48 milesA909AA+34,100

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Antrim County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Antrim County has more crime than 52% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Antrim CountyA+952A+A+24,100
Dawson County, NEA+979A+A+24,200
Itawamba County, MSA+977A+A+24,000
Pacific County, WAA+974A+A+24,000
Shelby County, TXA+959A+A+24,200
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Marion County, MSA+959A+A+24,200
Tattnall County, GAA+952A+A+24,200
Franklin County, GAA+947A+A+24,200
Grainger County, TNA+943A+A+24,300
Nicholas County, WVA921AA+24,300
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PRB+767BA24,300

Density, night lighting and walkability in Antrim County

Two things set Antrim County apart: it has 13% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and 19 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 99% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.13% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of Americans
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. 91% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (7 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 90% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.19 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.13.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 93% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Antrim County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Antrim County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 crime costs Antrim County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Antrim County about $701 a year per household, 42% less than the US figure of $1,205.

Cost of crime per resident, per year

Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $27 million a year, or $1,125 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.6 million$67
Rape$1.0 million$41
Robbery$28,000$1
Assault$2.6 million$110
Burglary$300,000$13
Theft$770,000$32
Vehicle theft$220,000$9
Arson$67,000$3
Vandalism$480,000$20
Total$7.1 million$295

How CrimeGrade™ works

A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Antrim County means the same as a B anywhere else.

CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.

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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Antrim County

Schools in Antrim County, MI average a SchoolGrade of A-: 45% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Antrim County on SchoolGrade