The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Desha County, AR
Desha County is home to 10,800 residents and includes Dumas and McGehee · Updated November 2026
Is Desha County, AR safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Desha County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Desha County run from A+ to F, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 892 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
64% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Desha County as a whole, and 36% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Desha County scores 892.
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 Desha County, AR at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Desha 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 Desha County
Aggravated assaults run high. Desha County has aggravated assaults at more than double the US rate: 7.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Desha County
Low crime is the norm across Desha County: 87% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 6% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Desha County run from A+ to F; 52% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
87%
A or B 87%C 7%D or F 6%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the west side has the least crime and the McGehee area the most.
Crime rates and types in Desha County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Desha County has about 57 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 53% more than the US as a whole and 19% more than Arkansas.
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 Desha County, about 45% 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 Desha County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Desha County, 2022 to 2024.
In Desha County, 38% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Other places (58%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Other places (63%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Other places (54%)
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 Desha County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Desha County, 7 have less crime. Cleveland County and Ashley County have the least.
Empty homes, density and walkability in Desha County
Two things set Desha County apart: it has 16.6% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 1% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with many empty homes 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.16.6% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of Americans
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 96% 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. 90% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (10 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 78% of Americans
Show all 6
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 Desha County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.12.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 85% 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.63% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 76% 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 Desha County
Crime costs Desha County about $2,062 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 71% more 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 $44 million a year, or $4,070 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$3.6 million
$333
Rape
$460,000
$43
Robbery
$76,000
$7
Assault
$3.6 million
$338
Burglary
$460,000
$43
Theft
$760,000
$70
Vehicle theft
$190,000
$17
Arson
$160,000
$15
Vandalism
$750,000
$70
Total
$10 million
$935
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 Desha 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. Desha County is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 Desha County, AR average a SchoolGrade of D-: 23% of students test proficient, against 23% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Desha County on SchoolGrade
