The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Douglas County, SD: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Douglas County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Douglas County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Douglas County, SD Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

B-
C+
Other Crime Grade
D-

$1.60 million

Cost of Crime™ for Douglas County, SD

In 2025, crime will cost $1,384 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Douglas County 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 Douglas County, SD Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Douglas County's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Douglas County sits in the 36th percentile, ahead of 36% of counties and behind 64%. The grade covers only Douglas County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Douglas County is 35.67 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 27 in the southeast areas to 1 in 29 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the south parts of Douglas County, SD report the most crime, about 28 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 1 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Douglas County, SD

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Douglas County for 2025 is $1,597,661, about $574 per resident and $1,384 per household. That equals 1.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 55.6%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 31.9%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Douglas County Compared to Other Counties?

Douglas County, SD: $574
Minnehaha County, SD: $444
Pennington County, SD: $411
South Dakota: $484
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Douglas County is $574 per year, which is $110 more than the national average and $91 more than South Dakota's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Douglas County:
  • In Minnehaha County, SD, crime costs $444 per person, which is $131 less than in Douglas County.
  • In Pennington County, SD, crime costs $411 per person, which is $163 less than in Douglas County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Douglas County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Douglas County
Cost per Douglas County Resident
Murder
$577,806
$208
Rape/Sexual Assault
$185,240
$67
Robbery
$26,159
$9
Assault
$152,480
$55
Kidnapping
$25,212
$9
Vehicle Theft
$61,370
$22
Burglary
$57,296
$21
Theft
$173,783
$62
Arson
$6,907
$2
Vandalism
$109,185
$39
Animal Cruelty
$1,218
$0
Drug Crimes
$194,045
$70
Identity Theft
$26,960
$10
Total Cost of Crime
$1,597,661
$574

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Douglas County, SD

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 Douglas County totals $4,760,945 ($1,712 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $6,358,606 ($2,286 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 south part of the county 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 Douglas County has 1, do the same, and of Douglas County's 2,781 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 Douglas County, SD at ISP Reports.

Douglas County 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 Douglas County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.909
Robbery
0.2990
Rape
1.099
Murder
0.1106
Total Violent Crime
3.417 (B-)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
12.07
Vehicle Theft
1.425
Burglary
2.272
Arson
0.1028
Total Property Crime
15.87 (C+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1495
Drug Crimes
9.433
Vandalism
5.496
Identity Theft
1.252
Animal Cruelty
0.0592
Total "Other" Rate
16.39 (D-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Douglas County is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Douglas County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C
C-
B-
A
A
A+
C
B-
C+
B-
A-
A-
C+
D+
B+
C+
D
B+
D-
D
D
C+
C+
A
C
B-
C+
B+
C-
A+

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Douglas County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
F
F
F
F
D-
D-
C
F
F
D-
D
D
D-
B
B
C+
A-
A-
D
F
F
D+
D+
D+
D
D-
D-
D-
F
F

Considering only the crime rate, Douglas County is as safe as the South Dakota state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Douglas County, SD average SchoolGrade of B, with 46% actual proficiency versus 43% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Douglas County 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.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 3 days 16 hours in Douglas County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Douglas County, SD

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.