Crime in Petroleum County, MT

Petroleum County is home to 447 residents and includes Winnett · Updated November 2026

Is Petroleum County, MT safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Petroleum County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 99% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 991 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

99% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Petroleum County as a whole, and 1% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Petroleum County scores 991.

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 990 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 992 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Petroleum County

Map of Petroleum 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 Petroleum County, MT at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Petroleum 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


Crime rates and types in Petroleum County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Petroleum County has about 67 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 80% more than the US as a whole and 91% more than Montana.

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.

Vandalism is the most common crime in Petroleum County, about 51% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.230.05
RapeA+under 11.30.38
RobberyA+under 10.170.62
AssaultA+818.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+12.92.4
TheftA+36.513.1
Vehicle theftA+under 11.72.7
ArsonA+under 11.60.12
VandalismA+1533.95.5

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.


How Petroleum County compares with nearby counties

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

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Petroleum CountyA+991A+A+447
Musselshell County 42 milesA+989A+A+5,150
Fergus County 52 milesA+978A+A+11,700
Golden Valley County 62 milesA+994A+A+899
Garfield County 68 milesA+995A+A+1,090
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Treasure County 73 milesA+992A+A+732
Wheatland County 82 milesA+988A+A+2,060
Yellowstone County 85 milesA-799A-A-169,000
Judith Basin County 88 milesA+991A+A+2,070
Phillips County 96 milesA+996A+A+4,220
Blaine County 102 milesA+994A+A+6,950

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Petroleum 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, Petroleum County has more crime than 60% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Petroleum CountyA+991A+A+447
Loup County, NEA+998A+A+578
Thomas County, NEA+998A+A+564
Arthur County, NEA+997A+A+484
Grant County, NEA+996A+A+626
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Blaine County, NEA+996A+A+422
McPherson County, NEA+995A+A+475
Hooker County, NEA+995A+A+647
Borden County, TXA+982A+A+713
McMullen County, TXA+980A+A+700
Yakutat City and Borough, AKA+935AA+527

What crime costs Petroleum County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Petroleum County about $2,401 a year per household, about double 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 $2.4 million a year, or $5,462 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$190,000$420
Rape$34,000$77
Robbery$2,400$5
Assault$160,000$355
Burglary$12,000$26
Theft$15,000$34
Vehicle theft$12,000$27
Arson$18,000$39
Vandalism$110,000$240
Total$550,000$1,223

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 Petroleum 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. Petroleum County is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse 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 Petroleum County

Schools in Petroleum County, MT average a SchoolGrade of C: 35% of students test proficient, against 34% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Petroleum County on SchoolGrade