The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Bethel Census Area, AK
Bethel Census Area is home to 18,400 residents and includes Bethel and Kwethluk · Updated November 2026
Is Bethel Census Area, AK safe?
Crime in Bethel Census Area is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 66% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Bethel Census Area. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A against B. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Bethel Census Area run from A to F, so check the map below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 735 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
34% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Bethel Census Area as a whole, and 66% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Bethel Census Area 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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
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 Bethel Census Area, AK at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Bethel Census Area, 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 Bethel Census Area
Reported rape stands out among B-graded counties. For the typical resident of a B-graded US county, the figure is 0.41 reported rapes a year per 1,000 residents; Bethel Census Area has 1.6.
Thefts are uncommon. Bethel Census Area has thefts at about half the US rate: 6.0 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Bethel Census Area
Low crime is the norm across Bethel Census Area: 66% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 1% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Bethel Census Area run from A to F; 66% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
66%33%
A or B 66%C 33%D or F 1%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the south side has the least crime and the Bethel area the most.
Is crime going up in Bethel Census Area?
Since 2019, reported property crime in Bethel Census Area is down 11%, while violent crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 10 to 9.2 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 11 to 9.9 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime rose 14% and property crime rose 61%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Bethel Census AreaUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Bethel Census Area. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Bethel Census Area
Violent, US
Property, Bethel Census Area
Property, US
2016
+5%
+4%
+50%
+15%
2017
-4%
+4%
+49%
+12%
2018
+10%
+0%
+37%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-22%
+4%
-38%
-8%
2021
-21%
+6%
-49%
-10%
2022
-16%
+5%
-58%
-6%
2023
-20%
+2%
-45%
-7%
2024
-9%
-4%
-11%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Bethel Census Area
CrimeGrade™ estimates Bethel Census Area has about 45 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 20% more than the US as a whole and close to Alaska.
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.
The largest share of crime reported in Bethel Census Area is assault, about 61% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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 Bethel Census Area compares with nearby counties
Of the 9 counties closest to Bethel Census Area, 8 have less crime. Lake and Peninsula Borough and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Bethel Census Area. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with counties of similar size and density, Bethel Census Area has more crime than 99% of them.
Shops, walkability and night lighting in Bethel Census Area
Two things set Bethel Census Area apart: it has 2.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (5 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.2.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower 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. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% 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.34% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 92% of Americans
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.11.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 90% 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 Bethel Census Area: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.6% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 76% of Americans
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 Bethel Census Area
Crime costs Bethel Census Area about $2,391 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, about double 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 $44 million a year, or $2,413 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.7 million
$93
Rape
$1.8 million
$98
Robbery
$110,000
$6
Assault
$5.9 million
$321
Burglary
$380,000
$21
Theft
$560,000
$31
Vehicle theft
$490,000
$27
Arson
$54,000
$3
Vandalism
$690,000
$38
Total
$12 million
$636
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 Bethel Census Area 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
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.
Schools in Bethel Census Area, AK average a SchoolGrade of F: 8% of students test proficient, against 15% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Bethel Census Area on SchoolGrade
