The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Buffalo County, WI

Buffalo County is home to 13,400 residents and includes Mondovi and Buffalo City · Updated November 2026

Is Buffalo County, WI safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Buffalo County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 99% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Buffalo County grades A+.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 991 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

99% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Buffalo County as a whole, and 1% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Buffalo County scores 991.

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 988 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 994 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Buffalo County

Map of Buffalo 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 Buffalo County, WI at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County

Thefts are uncommon. Buffalo County has thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 1.9 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.


How places in Buffalo County compare

Every part of Buffalo County where people live grades A or B on the national scale.

A or B 100%

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

Least crime

  1. 1Alma1,100A+993
  2. 2Fountain City2,170A+992

Most crime

  1. 1Mondovi5,420A+984
  2. 2Buffalo City1,230A+987

Cities and towns in Buffalo 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 southeast side has the least crime and the Mondovi area the most.


Crime rates and types in Buffalo County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Buffalo County has about 5.6 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 85% less than the US as a whole and 77% less than Wisconsin.

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 Buffalo County, about 35% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.040.05
RapeA+20.160.38
RobberyA+under 10.040.62
AssaultA+261.912.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+40.312.4
TheftA+251.913.1
Vehicle theftA+40.342.7
ArsonA+under 10.030.12
VandalismA+120.865.5

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 Buffalo County compares with nearby counties

Buffalo County has the least crime of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Buffalo CountyA+991A+A+13,400
Pepin County 19 milesA+983A+A+7,430
Trempealeau County 20 milesA+976A+A+30,800
Wabasha County, MN 24 milesA+982A+A+21,600
Winona County, MN 25 milesA+949A+A49,800
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Eau Claire County 32 milesA906AA107,100
Dunn County 38 milesA+975A+A+45,500
Jackson County 42 milesA+976A+A+21,000
Olmsted County, MN 44 milesA922A+A164,500
La Crosse County 44 milesA894AA120,500
Goodhue County, MN 46 milesA+953A+A+47,900

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Buffalo 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, Buffalo County is safer than 96% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Buffalo CountyA+991A+A+13,400
Osage County, MOA+987A+A+13,400
Johnson County, ILA+981A+A+13,400
Millard County, UTA+980A+A+13,300
Oglala Lakota County, SDA+978A+A+13,500
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Jackson County, KSA+977A+A+13,300
Ford County, ILA+974A+A+13,400
Crawford County, MIA+970A+A+13,400
Winn Parish, LAA+956A+A+13,500
Amelia County, VAA+950A+A+13,500
Meigs County, TNA+942A+A+13,300

Night lighting, density and walkability in Buffalo County

Two things set Buffalo County apart: it has 19% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.

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.19% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 97% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% 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. 89% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 84% of Americans
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.26 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 92% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.13.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher 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 Buffalo County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Buffalo 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 Buffalo County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Buffalo County about $306 a year per household, 75% 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 $8.9 million a year, or $661 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$890,000$66
Rape$130,000$10
Robbery$15,000$1
Assault$370,000$28
Burglary$38,000$3
Theft$130,000$10
Vehicle theft$69,000$5
Arson$11,000$1
Vandalism$82,000$6
Total$1.7 million$129

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 Buffalo 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 Buffalo County

Schools in Buffalo County, WI average a SchoolGrade of D+: 36% of students test proficient, against 37% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Buffalo County on SchoolGrade