The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Gladwin County, MI

Gladwin County is home to 25,700 residents and includes Gladwin and Beaverton · Updated November 2026

Is Gladwin County, MI safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Gladwin County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 86% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 950 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

86% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Gladwin County as a whole, and 14% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Gladwin County scores 950.

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 937 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 971 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Gladwin County

Map of Gladwin County 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 Gladwin County, MI at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Gladwin 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 Gladwin County

Thefts and acts of vandalism both run low. In Gladwin County, each runs at less than half the US rate: 4.0 thefts and 2.0 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 5.5 nationally.


How places in Gladwin County compare

Every part of Gladwin County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Gladwin County run from A+ to A-; every part of Gladwin County 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.

Least crime

  1. 1Rhodes1,420A+973
  2. 2Sugar Rapids1,140A+971
  3. 3Winegars1,150A+970

Most crime

  1. 1Gladwin10,200A923
  2. 2Beaverton8,350A+947
  3. 3Wagarville1,520A+956

Cities and towns in Gladwin County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the northwest side has the least crime and the Gladwin area the most.


Is crime going up in Gladwin County?

Since 2019, reported property crime in Gladwin County is down 24%, while violent crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 3.0 to 2.9 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 7.4 to 5.6 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 24%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Gladwin CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Gladwin County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Gladwin CountyViolent, USProperty, Gladwin CountyProperty, US
2016-25%+4%+18%+15%
2017+5%+4%+23%+12%
2018-9%+0%+9%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+0%+4%+16%-8%
2021-16%+6%-1%-10%
2022-17%+5%+2%-6%
2023-7%+2%-1%-7%
2024-6%-4%-24%-15%

Crime rates and types in Gladwin County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Gladwin County has about 19 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 49% less than the US as a whole and 45% less than Michigan.

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.

Assault is the most common crime in Gladwin County, about 53% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.040.05
RapeA170.650.38
RobberyA+under 10.040.62
AssaultA25910.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+361.42.4
TheftA+1024.013.1
Vehicle theftA+150.592.7
ArsonA+30.130.12
VandalismA+512.05.5

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 Gladwin County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Gladwin County, 2022 to 2024.

In Gladwin County, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (70%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (53%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (72%)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 Gladwin County compares with nearby counties

Gladwin County has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest counties; only Ogemaw County and Arenac County have less.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Gladwin CountyA+950A+A+25,700
Clare County 19 milesA922AA+31,200
Midland County 24 milesA+938A+A+83,800
Ogemaw County 27 milesA+958A+A+20,900
Saginaw County 45 milesB+732BA188,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Arenac County 28 milesA+952A+A+15,100
Roscommon County 29 milesA+924AA+23,700
Isabella County 31 milesA+932AA+64,600
Bay County 35 milesA887AA103,000
Missaukee County 44 milesA+942A+A+15,200
Gratiot County 44 milesA+932AA+41,400

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

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Gladwin County has more crime than 52% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Gladwin CountyA+950A+A+25,700
Plymouth County, IAA+984A+A+25,700
Benton County, IAA+980A+A+25,700
Brown County, MNA+975A+A+25,800
Fannin County, GAA+956A+A+25,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Simpson County, MSA+954A+A+25,700
Otsego County, MIA+947A+A+25,600
Hardee County, FLA923A+A25,700
Luna County, NMA919A+A25,600
Harlan County, KYA907AA25,800
Salem City, VAA-827A-A-25,600

Jobs, night lighting and walkability in Gladwin County

Two things set Gladwin County apart: it has 16 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 14% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, and theft runs low here.

JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.16 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% 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.14% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% 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. 93% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 94% 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.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 96% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.3.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 92% 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 Gladwin County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Gladwin County 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 Gladwin County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Gladwin County about $670 a year per household, 44% 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 $30 million a year, or $1,166 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.8 million$71
Rape$1.0 million$39
Robbery$28,000$1
Assault$3.0 million$117
Burglary$320,000$13
Theft$530,000$20
Vehicle theft$230,000$9
Arson$82,000$3
Vandalism$360,000$14
Total$7.4 million$287

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 Gladwin 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.

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 Gladwin County

Schools in Gladwin County, MI average a SchoolGrade of C: 37% of students test proficient, against 35% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Gladwin County on SchoolGrade