The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Carbon County, MT
Carbon County is home to 11,100 residents and includes Red Lodge and Bridger · Updated November 2026
Is Carbon County, MT safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Carbon County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 98% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 984 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
98% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Carbon County as a whole, and 2% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Carbon County scores 984.
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 Carbon County, MT at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Carbon 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 Carbon County
Theft runs low. Carbon County has 3.3 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 13.1.
How places in Carbon County compare
Every part of Carbon County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Carbon County run from A+ to A; every part of Carbon County has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Carbon 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 center has the least crime and the Red Lodge area the most.
Crime rates and types in Carbon County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Carbon County has about 14 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 63% less than the US as a whole and 61% less than Montana.
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 Carbon County, about 40% of everything reported.
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 Carbon County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Carbon County, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Homes (39%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Carbon County compares with nearby counties
Carbon County has less crime than 5 of its 9 nearest counties.
Shops, night lighting and walkability in Carbon County
Two things set Carbon County apart: it has 15.1 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 25% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places with many stores and restaurants tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 97% 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.25% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 95% 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. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 59% of Americans
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 95% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.28 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower 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 Carbon County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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 Carbon County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Carbon County about $658 a year per household, 45% 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 $15 million a year, or $1,340 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.5 million
$137
Rape
$130,000
$12
Robbery
$10,000
$1
Assault
$770,000
$69
Burglary
$42,000
$4
Theft
$190,000
$17
Vehicle theft
$120,000
$11
Arson
$23,000
$2
Vandalism
$280,000
$25
Total
$3.1 million
$278
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 Carbon 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
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 Carbon County, MT average a SchoolGrade of D+: 31% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Carbon County on SchoolGrade
