The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Lake Preston, SD: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C
Property Crime Grade	B
Other Crime Grade	D

Which crimes are included?

$409,603

Cost of Crime™ for Lake Preston, SD

In 2025, crime will cost $1,382 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Lake Preston 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 Lake Preston, SD Safe?

The C overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Lake Preston's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Lake Preston sits in the 44th percentile, ahead of 44% of cities and behind 56%. The grade covers only Lake Preston's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Lake Preston is 25.89 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 27 in the west neighborhoods to 1 in 46 in the northeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Lake Preston, SD report the most crime, about 7 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Lake Preston, SD

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Lake Preston for 2025 is $409,603, about $484 per resident and $1,382 per household. That equals 1.3% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 32.3%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.2%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Lake Preston Compared to Other Cities?

Lake Preston, SD:	$484
Pine Ridge, SD:	$1414
Hartford, SD:	$223
South Dakota:	$484
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Lake Preston is $484 per year, which is $20 more than the national average and the same as South Dakota's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Lake Preston:

In Pine Ridge, SD, crime costs $1,414 per person, which is $930 more than in Lake Preston.
In Hartford, SD, crime costs $223 per person, which is $261 less than in Lake Preston

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Lake Preston	Cost per Lake Preston Resident
Murder	$157,413	$186
Rape/Sexual Assault	$56,118	$66
Robbery	$13,438	$16
Assault	$41,837	$49
Kidnapping	$8,935	$11
Vehicle Theft	$5,799	$7
Burglary	$14,988	$18
Theft	$31,810	$38
Arson	$1,507	$2
Vandalism	$26,333	$31
Animal Cruelty	$334	$0
Drug Crimes	$50,149	$59
Identity Theft	$941	$1
Total Cost of Crime	$409,603	$484

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Lake Preston, 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 Lake Preston totals $1,328,236 ($1,570 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,737,840 ($2,054 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 northeast 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 do the same, and of Lake Preston's 846 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 Lake Preston, SD at ISP Reports.

Lake Preston 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 Lake Preston residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.722
Robbery	0.5050
Rape	1.094
Murder	0.0990
Total Violent Crime	3.420 (C)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	7.260
Vehicle Theft	0.4426
Burglary	1.953
Arson	0.0738
Total Property Crime	9.730 (B)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1742
Drug Crimes	8.014
Vandalism	4.357
Identity Theft	0.1438
Animal Cruelty	0.0534
Total "Other" Rate	12.74 (D)

Individual Lake Preston Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Lake Preston is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Lake Preston.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Hetland, SD	B-	C+	A-
Oldham, SD	C-	C	B-
DeSmet, SD	C	C	A-
Erwin, SD	B-	C	A-
Arlington, SD	B	B	A-
Badger, SD	B	B+	A-
Cloverleaf Colony, SD	D+	C-	C
Sinai, SD	C+	B	C+
Bryant, SD	C+	B-	B-
Arlington Beach, SD	B-	B	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Lake Preston is similar 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
South Ogdensburg, NJ	A+	A+	A+
Georgetown, MS	A-	A+	A+
Glen Allen, AL	D+	D-	D-
Goldonna, LA	D-	D-	D-
Goodwins Crossroads, SC	D	D	D
Grady, MS	B	A-	A-
Graham, KY	D+	B	B
Granville, MA	A+	A	A
Greenville, MO	C-	D	D
Smiley, TX	D	D-	D-

Considering only the crime rate, Lake Preston is safer than the South Dakota state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Lake Preston, SD average SchoolGrade of D+, with 31% actual proficiency versus 37% projected; overall, schools underperform expectations. See Lake Preston 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.