The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Clay Center, NE: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D
Property Crime Grade	F
Other Crime Grade	D-

Which crimes are included?

$523,912

Cost of Crime™ for Clay Center, NE

In 2025, crime will cost $1,658 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Clay Center with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Clay Center, NE Safe?

The F overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Clay Center's combined rate is much higher than the norm. Clay Center sits in the 8th percentile, ahead of 8% of cities and behind 92%. The grade covers only Clay Center's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Clay Center is 53.94 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 18 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 29 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Clay Center, NE report the most crime, about 9 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 1 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Clay Center, NE

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Clay Center for 2025 is $523,912, about $675 per resident and $1,658 per household. That equals 1.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 58.6%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 30.1%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.2%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Clay Center Compared to Other Cities?

Clay Center, NE:	$675
Chadron, NE:	$626
Ashland, NE:	$218
Nebraska:	$380
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Clay Center is $675 per year, which is $211 more than the national average and $295 more than Nebraska's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Clay Center:

In Chadron, NE, crime costs $626 per person, which is $49 less than in Clay Center.
In Ashland, NE, crime costs $218 per person, which is $457 less than in Clay Center

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Clay Center for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Clay Center	Cost per Clay Center Resident
Murder	$154,390	$199
Rape/Sexual Assault	$39,931	$51
Robbery	$10,845	$14
Assault	$75,045	$97
Kidnapping	$7,023	$9
Vehicle Theft	$7,261	$9
Burglary	$21,022	$27
Theft	$122,294	$158
Arson	$2,273	$3
Vandalism	$48,096	$62
Animal Cruelty	$250	$0
Drug Crimes	$33,319	$43
Identity Theft	$2,164	$3
Total Cost of Crime	$523,912	$675

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Clay Center, NE

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Clay Center totals $1,237,319 ($1,594 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,761,231 ($2,270 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The city holds few retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Clay Center has 2, do the same, and of Clay Center's 776 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Clay Center, NE at ISP Reports.

Clay Center Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Clay Center residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.367
Robbery	0.4443
Rape	0.8487
Murder	0.1059
Total Violent Crime	4.766 (D)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	30.43
Vehicle Theft	0.6043
Burglary	2.987
Arson	0.1213
Total Property Crime	34.14 (F)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1493
Drug Crimes	5.805
Vandalism	8.676
Identity Theft	0.3603
Animal Cruelty	0.0436
Total "Other" Rate	15.03 (D-)

Individual Clay Center Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Clay Center is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Clay Center.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Verona, NE	D+	D-	C
Fairfield, NE	C-	D+	C
Harvard, NE	C	C+	C
Saronville, NE	C	C+	C+
Inland, NE	C+	B-	C
Glenvil, NE	C-	C	C
Edgar, NE	C-	F	A-
Sutton, NE	C	B	C
Deweese, NE	C	C	C+
School Creek, NE	C	B-	C

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Clay Center is higher versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
New Fountain, TX	B	D+	D+
Lewiston Woodville, NC	F	F	F
Limerick, OH	B	B	B
Lockett, TX	D-	D-	D-
Maxwell, NE	C	C	C
Mcarthur, CA	D+	D	D
Melrose, NM	D+	D	D
Merson, MI	A-	C-	C-
Middendorf, SC	C-	D+	D+
Minersville, UT	C	B	B

Considering only the crime rate, Clay Center is less safe than the Nebraska state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Clay Center, NE average SchoolGrade of B, with 45% actual proficiency versus 40% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Clay Center schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.