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

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A-
Property Crime Grade	C
Other Crime Grade	C+

Which crimes are included?

$10.2 million

Cost of Crime™ for Columbus, NE

In 2025, crime will cost $911 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Columbus 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 Columbus, NE Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Columbus's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Columbus sits in the 50th percentile, ahead of 50% of cities and behind 50%. The grade covers only Columbus's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Columbus is 23.77 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 29 in the west neighborhoods to 1 in 57 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Columbus, NE report the most crime, about 124 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 31 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Columbus, NE

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Columbus for 2025 is $10,179,278, about $348 per resident and $911 per household. That equals 0.9% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 30.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.3%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Columbus Compared to Other Cities?

Columbus, NE:	$348
Chadron, NE:	$626
Ashland, NE:	$218
Nebraska:	$380
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Columbus is $348 per year, which is $116 less than the national average and $32 less than Nebraska's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Columbus:

In Chadron, NE, crime costs $626 per person, which is $279 more than in Columbus.
In Ashland, NE, crime costs $218 per person, which is $130 less than in Columbus

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Columbus	Cost per Columbus Resident
Murder	$3.31 million	$113
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.38 million	$47
Robbery	$213,977	$7
Assault	$762,553	$26
Kidnapping	$150,238	$5
Vehicle Theft	$382,674	$13
Burglary	$590,240	$20
Theft	$1.58 million	$54
Arson	$74,583	$3
Vandalism	$682,183	$23
Animal Cruelty	$9,485	$0
Drug Crimes	$917,881	$31
Identity Theft	$122,620	$4
Total Cost of Crime	$10,179,278	$348

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Columbus, 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 Columbus totals $28,822,225 ($985 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $39,001,503 ($1,333 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 central part of the city holds more 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 Columbus has 7, do the same, and of Columbus's 29,259 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 Columbus, NE at ISP Reports.

Columbus 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 Columbus residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.9075
Robbery	0.2325
Rape	0.7766
Murder	0.0602
Total Violent Crime	1.977 (A-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	10.44
Vehicle Theft	0.8446
Burglary	2.224
Arson	0.1056
Total Property Crime	13.62 (C)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0847
Drug Crimes	4.241
Vandalism	3.264
Identity Theft	0.5415
Animal Cruelty	0.0438
Total "Other" Rate	8.175 (C+)

Individual Columbus Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Wagners Lake, NE	B	C	B
Richland, NE	D+	A-	D
Monroe, NE	F	B+	F
Duncan, NE	B-	A-	C
Platte Center, NE	C	B+	D+
Bellwood, NE	B-	D+	B-
Tarnov, NE	C	B+	C-
Schuyler, NE	D+	C	D
Octavia, NE	D+	B-	D
Rising City, NE	B	A-	C+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Columbus is similar 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
Fremont, NE	C-	B-	B-
Danvers, MA	B-	B-	B-
Vernon Hills, IL	B-	A-	A-
Tujunga, CA	C	C-	C-
Edwardsville, IL	B+	A	A
El Macero, CA	C-	C	C
Eldersburg, MD	C+	B+	B+
Elk River, MN	B	A-	A-
Ellensburg, WA	D-	C	C
Feasterville-Trevose, PA	B+	B+	B+

Considering only the crime rate, Columbus is safer than the Nebraska state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Columbus, NE average SchoolGrade of B, with 47% actual proficiency versus 44% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Columbus 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.

Crime By Zip Code Download

Our proprietary data is available for download by zip code or by state in a CSV Flat File. Please visit our download page for pricing and terms.

Download CSV

Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 12 hours 35 minutes in Columbus. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Columbus, NE

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.