The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Phenix City, AL
Phenix City is a city of 60,600 in Russell County, about 3 miles west of downtown Columbus · Updated November 2026
Is Phenix City, AL safe?
Crime in Phenix City is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 74% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Phenix City. Violent and property crime both grade B here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Phenix City run from A+ to F, so check the map below.
B
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 647 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
26% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Phenix City as a whole, and 74% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Phenix City scores 647.
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.
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 Phenix City, AL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Phenix City, 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 Phenix City
Robberies are less common than the crime level suggests. Crime overall in Phenix City runs 59% above the US rate, but robberies run 26% below it: 0.46 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Phenix City, 66% of reported thefts from cars happen at homes, against 34% nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Phenix City
Most of Phenix City grades well: 67% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 11% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Phenix City run from A+ to F; 20% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
67%22%11%
A or B 67%C 22%D or F 11%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Phenix City, the southwest side has the least crime and the east side the most.
Crime rates and types in Phenix City
CrimeGrade™ estimates Phenix City has about 59 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 59% more than the US as a whole and 47% more than Alabama.
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 Phenix City, about 40% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.
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 Phenix City
Phenix City has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Phenix City, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (70%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (60%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (66%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (67%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (40%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (69%)
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 Phenix City compares with nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to Phenix City, 8 have less crime. Seale and Fortson, GA have the least.
Two things set Phenix City apart: it has 11.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 20 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.11.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 90% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.20 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 87% of US city residents
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 and assault. 93% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 79% of US city residents
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 Phenix City: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 79% of US city residents
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.72% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 76% of US city residents
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 Phenix City
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Phenix City about $1,668 a year per household, 38% more 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 $130 million a year, or $2,153 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$7.2 million
$118
Rape
$1.5 million
$24
Robbery
$860,000
$14
Assault
$17 million
$279
Burglary
$1.9 million
$32
Theft
$5.8 million
$96
Vehicle theft
$2.3 million
$38
Arson
$98,000
$2
Vandalism
$4.0 million
$67
Total
$41 million
$670
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 Phenix City 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
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.
Schools in Phenix City, AL average a SchoolGrade of C: 41% of students test proficient, against 33% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Phenix City on SchoolGrade
