The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Leelanau County, MI: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Leelanau County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Leelanau County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Leelanau County, MI Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

A

Overall Crime Grade™

B+
A
Other Crime Grade
A

$6.66 million

Cost of Crime™ for Leelanau County, MI

In 2025, crime will cost $684 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Leelanau County 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 Leelanau County, MI Safe?

The A overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Leelanau County's combined rate is much lower than the norm. Leelanau County sits in the 91st percentile, ahead of 91% of counties and behind 9%. The grade covers only Leelanau County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Leelanau County is 17.58 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 43 in the west areas to 1 in 97 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of Leelanau County, MI report the most crime, about 71 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Leelanau County, MI

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Leelanau County for 2025 is $6,664,610, about $288 per resident and $684 per household. That equals 0.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 58.1%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 28.3%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Leelanau County Compared to Other Counties?

Leelanau County, MI: $288
Wayne County, MI: $853
Ottawa County, MI: $197
Michigan: $487
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Leelanau County is $288 per year, which is $176 less than the national average and $199 less than Michigan's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Leelanau County:
  • In Wayne County, MI, crime costs $853 per person, which is $565 more than in Leelanau County.
  • In Ottawa County, MI, crime costs $197 per person, which is $91 less than in Leelanau County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Leelanau County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Leelanau County
Cost per Leelanau County Resident
Murder
$1.40 million
$60
Rape/Sexual Assault
$1.50 million
$65
Robbery
$232,254
$10
Assault
$945,780
$41
Kidnapping
$168,630
$7
Vehicle Theft
$266,804
$12
Burglary
$353,410
$15
Theft
$787,155
$34
Arson
$84,411
$4
Vandalism
$459,051
$20
Animal Cruelty
$15,213
$1
Drug Crimes
$231,389
$10
Identity Theft
$222,976
$10
Total Cost of Crime
$6,664,610
$288

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Leelanau County, 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 Leelanau County totals $16,823,355 ($727 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $23,487,965 ($1,015 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 west part of the county 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 Leelanau County has 28, do the same, and of Leelanau County's 23,131 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 Leelanau County, MI at ISP Reports.

Leelanau County 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 Leelanau County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.424
Robbery
0.3192
Rape
1.070
Murder
0.0321
Total Violent Crime
2.845 (B+)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
6.571
Vehicle Theft
0.7449
Burglary
1.685
Arson
0.1511
Total Property Crime
9.151 (A)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1202
Drug Crimes
1.352
Vandalism
2.778
Identity Theft
1.245
Animal Cruelty
0.0889
Total "Other" Rate
5.585 (A)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Leelanau County is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Leelanau County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
A-
B
B+
A+
B+
A+
A+
B-
A+
A
B-
A+
A-
C+
A-
B+
C+
B
A-
C+
A-
A
B-
A
B
B+
B+
B+
C+
B

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Leelanau County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C-
B+
B+
C-
C-
C-
A+
B
B
A+
A+
A+
F
D-
D-
A
A-
A-
D-
D-
D-
C+
C+
C+
A+
C
C
C+
D
D

Considering only the crime rate, Leelanau County is safer than the Michigan 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 Leelanau County, MI average SchoolGrade of C+, with 39% actual proficiency versus 43% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Leelanau County 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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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 21 hours 32 minutes in Leelanau County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Leelanau County, MI

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.