The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Fruita, CO

Fruita is a city of 16,200 in Mesa County, about 11 miles northwest of downtown Grand Junction · Updated November 2026

Is Fruita, CO safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Fruita: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 71% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 912 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

71% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Fruita as a whole, and 29% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Fruita scores 912.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 927 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 886 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Fruita

Map of Fruita shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Fruita, CO at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Fruita, 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 Fruita

Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Fruita, each runs at about half the US rate: 6.4 thefts and 4.5 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.


The safest and least safe parts of Fruita

Every part of Fruita where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Fruita run from A+ to A; every part of Fruita has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Within Fruita, the northeast side has the least crime and the west side the most.


Is crime going up in Fruita?

Reported property crime in Fruita has fallen 47% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 15 to 7.9 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 23%.

Property crime, change since 2019

FruitaUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Fruita. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearProperty, FruitaProperty, US
2016-8%+15%
2017-15%+12%
2018+5%+4%
2019+0%+0%
2020-19%-8%
2021-24%-10%
2022-30%-6%
2023-31%-7%
2024-47%-15%

Crime rates and types in Fruita

CrimeGrade™ estimates Fruita has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 50% less than the US as a whole and 61% less than Colorado.

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.

Theft makes up about 35% of crime reported in Fruita. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeA30.210.38
RobberyA+under 10.050.62
AssaultA895.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+171.02.4
TheftA-1046.413.1
Vehicle theftA+100.622.7
ArsonA20.110.12
VandalismA-734.55.5

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 Fruita

Fruita has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.

In Fruita, 24% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryStores and businesses (45%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (42%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times; they are over one in five for burglary, vandalism.


How Fruita compares with nearby cities

Fruita has less crime than 4 of its 8 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
FruitaA912A+A16,200
Loma 6 milesA+972A+A+2,660
Redlands 7 milesA916A+A12,000
Mack 11 milesA+981A+A+1,100
Grand Junction 11 milesB+749A-B+74,900
Show all 8
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Orchard Mesa 14 milesA-829AA-8,920
Fruitvale 14 milesA-810A-B+8,200
Clifton 15 milesA-791A-B+22,600
Palisade 20 milesA+930A+A5,310

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Fruita. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Fruita has more crime than 52% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
FruitaA912A+A16,200
Ballston Lake, NYA+958A+A+16,200
Baraboo, WIA+947A+A+16,200
Bloomingdale, FLA+930AA+16,200
Sanger, TXA923A+A16,200
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Franklinton, LAA908AA+16,200
Franklin Farm, VAA904A+A16,200
Cottage Grove, ORA861AA-16,200
Bedford, OHA-842A-A16,200
Bradley, ILA-798A-A-16,200
Seabrook, TXA-790B+A-16,200

Empty homes, jobs and walkability in Fruita

Two things set Fruita apart: it has 2.4% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 20 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary runs low here.

Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 92% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.20 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 86% of US city residents
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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (11 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 71% of US city residents
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 Fruita: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
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 81% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.4% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 78% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Fruita on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Fruita

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Fruita about $469 a year per household, 61% 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 $7.7 million a year, or $477 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$280,000$18
Rape$200,000$13
Robbery$25,000$2
Assault$990,000$61
Burglary$150,000$9
Theft$530,000$33
Vehicle theft$150,000$10
Arson$44,000$3
Vandalism$520,000$32
Total$2.9 million$179

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 Fruita 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. Fruita is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Fruita

Schools in Fruita, CO average a SchoolGrade of A-: 49% of students test proficient, against 36% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Fruita on SchoolGrade