Dewey County is home to 5,200 residents and includes Eagle Butte and Timber Lake · Updated November 2026
Is Dewey County, SD safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Dewey County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 96% 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 977 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
96% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Dewey County as a whole, and 4% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Dewey County scores 977.
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 Dewey County, SD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Dewey 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 Dewey County
Thefts are uncommon. Dewey County has thefts at less than half the US rate: 4.9 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Dewey County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Dewey County has about 34 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 8% less than the US as a whole and close to South Dakota.
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.
Vandalism is the most common crime in Dewey County, about 48% 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.
How Dewey County compares with nearby counties
Dewey County has more crime than 9 of its 10 nearest counties. Perkins County and Corson County have the least crime nearby.
Shops, empty homes and walkability in Dewey County
Two things set Dewey County apart: it has 6.9 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 10.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with few stores and restaurants tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.10.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 88% 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. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 83% 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.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 86% 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 Dewey County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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.55% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 81% 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 Dewey County
Crime costs Dewey County about $1,647 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 37% 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 $12 million a year, or $2,260 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.2 million
$225
Rape
$99,000
$19
Robbery
$8,900
$2
Assault
$620,000
$120
Burglary
$40,000
$8
Theft
$130,000
$25
Vehicle theft
$59,000
$11
Arson
$57,000
$11
Vandalism
$610,000
$117
Total
$2.8 million
$538
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 Dewey 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. Dewey 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 Dewey County, SD average a SchoolGrade of D: 34% of students test proficient, against 28% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Dewey County on SchoolGrade
