The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in East Lansing, MI: Crime Maps and Statistics

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D+
Property Crime Grade	D+
Other Crime Grade	B-

Which crimes are included?

$25.2 million

Cost of Crime™ for East Lansing, MI

In 2025, crime will cost $1,169 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of East Lansing 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 East Lansing, MI Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where East Lansing's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. East Lansing sits in the 32nd percentile, ahead of 32% of cities and behind 68%. The grade covers only East Lansing's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in East Lansing is 31.14 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northeast part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 16 in the south neighborhoods to 1 in 59 in the northeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southwest parts of East Lansing, MI report the most crime, about 317 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 62 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in East Lansing, MI

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in East Lansing for 2025 is $25,204,224, about $505 per resident and $1,169 per household. That equals 1.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 34.7%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.7%

How Much Does Crime Cost in East Lansing Compared to Other Cities?

East Lansing, MI:	$505
Highland Park, MI:	$1848
Hudsonville, MI:	$149
Michigan:	$487
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in East Lansing is $505 per year, which is $41 more than the national average and $18 more than Michigan's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to East Lansing:

In Highland Park, MI, crime costs $1,848 per person, which is $1,344 more than in East Lansing.
In Hudsonville, MI, crime costs $149 per person, which is $356 less than in East Lansing

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of East Lansing for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to East Lansing	Cost per East Lansing Resident
Murder	$7.53 million	$151
Rape/Sexual Assault	$3.21 million	$64
Robbery	$371,211	$7
Assault	$4.19 million	$84
Kidnapping	$413,942	$8
Vehicle Theft	$1.99 million	$40
Burglary	$814,782	$16
Theft	$3.85 million	$77
Arson	$185,436	$4
Vandalism	$1.70 million	$34
Animal Cruelty	$35,347	$1
Drug Crimes	$536,471	$11
Identity Theft	$373,803	$7
Total Cost of Crime	$25,204,224	$505

The Intangible Cost of Crime in East Lansing, MI

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 East Lansing totals $66,465,818 ($1,331 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $91,670,041 ($1,836 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 southeast part of the city 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 East Lansing has 13, do the same, and of East Lansing's 49,933 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 East Lansing, MI at ISP Reports.

East Lansing 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 East Lansing residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.920
Robbery	0.2363
Rape	1.061
Murder	0.0803
Total Violent Crime	4.298 (D+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	14.89
Vehicle Theft	2.573
Burglary	1.799
Arson	0.1538
Total Property Crime	19.41 (D+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1367
Drug Crimes	1.452
Vandalism	4.775
Identity Theft	0.9672
Animal Cruelty	0.0957
Total "Other" Rate	7.427 (B-)

Individual East Lansing Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in East Lansing is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to East Lansing.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Haslett, MI	B	B	B-
Okemos, MI	C+	C-	C-
Lansing, MI	D	F	D
Bath, MI	B	C+	B
Holt, MI	B	B	B
Waverly, MI	C	C+	C-
Dewitt, MI	A	B	A
Shaftsburg, MI	A	C-	A+
Williamston, MI	B	B-	B
Dimondale, MI	A	A-	A

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

East Lansing is higher versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Azusa, CA	C+	C+	C+
Yorktown, VA	B	A-	A-
Wheaton, MD	C	C+	C+
Wayne, NJ	B	A+	A+
Urbana, IL	C-	C	C
Tuckahoe, VA	C-	B+	B+
St. Louis Park, MN	D-	C	C
Southaven, MS	A-	A+	A+
Snohomish, WA	C-	B-	B-
Sherman Oaks, CA	D	D	D

Considering only the crime rate, East Lansing is less safe than the Michigan state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in East Lansing, MI average SchoolGrade of B+, with 50% actual proficiency versus 39% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See East Lansing 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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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.