Dexter Falls is a neighborhood of 5,800 residents in Columbus, about 9 miles northwest of downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Dexter Falls in Columbus safe?
Yes, crime in Dexter Falls is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Dexter Falls sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 48% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. Columbus as a whole grades C. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A to A-; see the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 829 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
48% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Dexter Falls as a whole, and 52% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Dexter Falls scores 829.
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 Dexter Falls, Columbus, OH at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Dexter Falls in Columbus, 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 Dexter Falls
Theft runs low. Dexter Falls has 3.6 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 13.1.
Thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages far more often than nationally. In Columbus as a whole, 58% of reported thefts from cars happen in parking lots and garages, against 31% nationally.
Crime rates and types in Dexter Falls
CrimeGrade™ estimates Dexter Falls has about 16 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 58% less than the US as a whole and 78% less than Columbus as a whole.
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 Dexter Falls, about 32% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Columbus
The Columbus Police Department polices Dexter Falls; these figures cover Columbus as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Columbus as a whole, 59% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (59%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (33%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (58%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Parking lots and garages (34%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (28%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (50%)
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 Dexter Falls compares with nearby neighborhoods
Dexter Falls has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only Tuttle West and Scioto Trace have less.
Two things set Dexter Falls apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (5 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 5 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and assault, yet theft and assault run higher here than that would suggest.
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 and assault. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.5 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 97% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Dexter Falls: D- (12 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 95% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 95% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Dexter Falls
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Dexter Falls about $401 a year per household, 67% 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 $2.4 million a year, or $417 per resident.
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 Dexter Falls 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
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 Dexter Falls, Columbus, OH average a SchoolGrade of B-: 63% of students test proficient, against 54% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Dexter Falls on SchoolGrade
