The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Plainwell, MI
Plainwell is a city of 12,700 in Allegan County, about 35 miles south of downtown Grand Rapids · Updated November 2026
Is Plainwell, MI safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Plainwell: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 69% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 908 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
69% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Plainwell as a whole, and 31% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Plainwell scores 908.
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 Plainwell, MI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Plainwell, 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 Plainwell
Vandalism runs low. Plainwell has 2.3 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 5.5.
The safest and least safe parts of Plainwell
Every part of Plainwell where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Plainwell run from A+ to A-; 82% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Plainwell, the northeast side has the least crime and the west side the most.
Crime rates and types in Plainwell
CrimeGrade™ estimates Plainwell has about 25 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 32% less than the US as a whole and 27% less than Michigan.
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 Plainwell, about 47% 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.
How Plainwell compares with nearby cities
Of the 7 cities closest to Plainwell, 6 have less crime. Mentha and Orangeville have the least.
Empty homes, night lighting and walkability in Plainwell
Two things set Plainwell apart: it has 1.9% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 37% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 96% 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.37% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 91% 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. 84% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (12 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 68% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.2% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 86% of US city residents
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 Plainwell: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 84% 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 Plainwell
Crime costs Plainwell about $633 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 48% 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 $9.2 million a year, or $724 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$270,000
$21
Rape
$400,000
$32
Robbery
$21,000
$2
Assault
$1.5 million
$117
Burglary
$160,000
$12
Theft
$530,000
$42
Vehicle theft
$170,000
$14
Arson
$22,000
$2
Vandalism
$210,000
$16
Total
$3.3 million
$258
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 Plainwell 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 Plainwell, MI average a SchoolGrade of B+: 44% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Plainwell on SchoolGrade
