Cambridge is a village of 4,370 in Jefferson County, about 19 miles east of downtown Madison · Updated November 2026
Is Cambridge, WI safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Cambridge: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 90% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Cambridge grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 961 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
90% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Cambridge as a whole, and 10% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Cambridge scores 961.
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 Cambridge, WI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge
Thefts from cars happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Cambridge, 70% of reported thefts from cars happen at homes, against 34% nationally.
Theft runs low. Cambridge has 4.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 13.1.
Crime rates and types in Cambridge
CrimeGrade™ estimates Cambridge has about 15 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 59% less than the US as a whole and 38% 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 Cambridge, about 36% of everything reported, and it also accounts for 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.
Where and when crime happens in Cambridge
The Dane County Sheriff's Office polices Cambridge, and these figures cover every place it serves, 2022 to 2024.
In Cambridge, 59% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (59%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Car theft
Homes (38%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (70%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (45%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (47%)
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; they are over one in five for burglary, car theft, theft from cars.
How Cambridge compares with nearby cities
Cambridge has less crime than 2 of its 3 nearest cities; only Lake Mills has less.
Density, night lighting and walkability in Cambridge
Two things set Cambridge apart: it has 28% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (6 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 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 and car theft.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
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.28% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 94% 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 and assault. 97% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 90% of US city residents
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 88% of US city residents
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 Cambridge: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.6% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 80% 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 crime costs Cambridge
Crime costs Cambridge about $346 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 71% 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 $1.7 million a year, or $378 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$78,000
$18
Rape
$54,000
$12
Robbery
$2,600
$1
Assault
$220,000
$50
Burglary
$25,000
$6
Theft
$110,000
$25
Vehicle theft
$33,000
$7
Arson
$1,900
under $1
Vandalism
$100,000
$24
Total
$630,000
$144
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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge, WI average a SchoolGrade of B-: 41% of students test proficient, against 49% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Cambridge on SchoolGrade
