The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Johnson County, AR

Johnson County is home to 26,000 residents and includes Clarksville and Lamar · Updated November 2026

Is Johnson County, AR safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Johnson County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Johnson County run from A+ to B-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 934 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Johnson County as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Johnson County scores 934.

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 924 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 949 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Johnson County

Map of Johnson 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 Johnson County, AR at ISP Reports.

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

Reported rapes run above the US rate. Johnson County has less crime than the US as a whole, 16% below the US rate, but more reported rapes: 0.88 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.38 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Johnson County

Every part of Johnson County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Johnson County run from A+ to B-; 85% of residents live in areas with 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. 1Hartman1,800A+957
  2. 2Lamar3,180A+952

Most crime

  1. 1Clarksville14,600A867
  2. 2Coal Hill1,080A+941

Cities and towns in Johnson 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 northeast side has the least crime and the Clarksville area the most.


Is crime going up in Johnson County?

Since 2019, reported violent crime in Johnson County is up 36% and property crime is down 28%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.7 to 3.6 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 14 to 10 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 19%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Johnson CountyUnited States

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

Data table
YearViolent, Johnson CountyViolent, USProperty, Johnson CountyProperty, US
2016+0%+4%+72%+15%
2017+28%+4%+70%+12%
2018-8%+0%+38%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+78%+4%-2%-8%
2021+106%+6%-14%-10%
2022+24%+5%-19%-6%
2023+68%+2%-21%-7%
2024+36%-4%-28%-15%

Crime rates and types in Johnson County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Johnson County has about 31 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 16% less than the US as a whole and 34% less than Arkansas.

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 Johnson County, about 47% 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+10.050.05
RapeA-230.880.38
RobberyA+30.120.62
AssaultA38014.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+662.52.4
TheftA2098.013.1
Vehicle theftA+150.592.7
ArsonA+30.120.12
VandalismA+1144.45.5

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 Johnson County

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

In Johnson County, 45% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at other places: 59% of them, against 7% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (45%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from carsOther places (59%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (46%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (55%)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 Johnson County compares with nearby counties

Johnson County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Johnson CountyA+934A+A+26,000
Franklin County 24 milesA+951A+A+17,300
Logan County 24 milesA+933A+A+21,300
Pope County 24 milesA922AA+64,100
Yell County 26 milesA+958A+A+20,100
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Newton County 39 milesA+981A+A+7,110
Madison County 44 milesA+959A+A+17,300
Crawford County 46 milesA850A-A61,100
Conway County 47 milesA+926AA+21,100
Sebastian County 51 milesA-774B+A-128,900
Perry County 51 milesA+972A+A+10,100

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Johnson 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, Johnson County has more crime than 70% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Johnson CountyA+934A+A+26,000
Franklin County, KSA+962A+A+26,100
Charlevoix County, MIA+953A+A+26,100
Cheboygan County, MIA+949A+A+25,900
McNairy County, TNA+935A+A+26,000
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Grady County, GAA+929A+A26,100
Dickinson County, MIA913AA26,000
Montgomery County, NCA910AA26,000
Wyoming County, PAA908AA26,000
Marlboro County, SCA-825A-A-26,000
Staunton City, VAA-811A-A-25,900

Night lighting, walkability and density in Johnson County

Two things set Johnson County apart: it has 31% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D- (6 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.

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.31% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 93% 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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 92% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.2% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 89% of Americans
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 Johnson County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.33 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 82% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.7.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 69% of Americans

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

Crime costs Johnson County about $1,081 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 10% 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 $40 million a year, or $1,526 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$2.3 million$87
Rape$1.4 million$53
Robbery$100,000$4
Assault$4.2 million$161
Burglary$590,000$23
Theft$1.1 million$41
Vehicle theft$240,000$9
Arson$73,000$3
Vandalism$810,000$31
Total$11 million$412

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 Johnson 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 Johnson County

Schools in Johnson County, AR average a SchoolGrade of C+: 34% of students test proficient, against 37% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Johnson County on SchoolGrade