Deer Lodge County is home to 9,600 residents · Updated November 2026
Is Deer Lodge County, MT safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Deer Lodge County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 82% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 941 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
82% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Deer Lodge County as a whole, and 18% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Deer Lodge County scores 941.
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 Deer Lodge County, MT at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County
Aggravated assaults run high, though crime overall runs low. Crime overall in Deer Lodge County runs 21% below the US rate, but aggravated assaults run 42% above it: 3.7 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Deer Lodge County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Deer Lodge County has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% less than the US as a whole and 17% 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 Deer Lodge County, about 37% 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 Deer Lodge County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Deer Lodge County, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Homes (43%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (44%)
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.
How Deer Lodge County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Deer Lodge County, 7 have less crime. Madison County and Beaverhead County have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Deer Lodge 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, Deer Lodge County is safer than 51% of them.
Empty homes, transit and walkability in Deer Lodge County
One thing sets Deer Lodge County apart: it has 11.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary and arson, yet burglary runs lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.11.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 91% 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 Deer Lodge County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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. 63% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (28 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 82% of Americans
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 79% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.34 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 76% 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.68% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 72% 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 Deer Lodge County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Deer Lodge County about $840 a year per household, 30% 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 $13 million a year, or $1,401 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$760,000
$79
Rape
$140,000
$14
Robbery
$7,200
$1
Assault
$1.5 million
$158
Burglary
$240,000
$25
Theft
$520,000
$54
Vehicle theft
$150,000
$15
Arson
$19,000
$2
Vandalism
$250,000
$26
Total
$3.6 million
$375
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 Deer Lodge 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 Deer Lodge County, MT average a SchoolGrade of D: 31% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Deer Lodge County on SchoolGrade
