Crime in Point Lay, AK

Point Lay is an unincorporated community of 362 in North Slope Borough · Updated November 2026

Is Point Lay, AK safe?

Yes, crime in Point Lay is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Point Lay sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 56% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A-.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 863 of 1,000
About as safe as the typical US neighborhood What this means

56% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Point Lay as a whole, and 44% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Point Lay scores 863.

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 810 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 952 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Point Lay

Map of Point Lay 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 Point Lay, AK at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Point Lay, 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 Point Lay

CrimeGrade™ estimates Point Lay has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 51% less than the US as a whole and 55% less than Alaska.

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 Point Lay, about 58% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA-under 10.120.05
RapeA-under 10.550.38
RobberyA+under 10.050.62
AssaultA-410.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+under 10.772.4
TheftA+under 11.013.1
Vehicle theftA+under 10.712.7
ArsonAunder 10.130.12
VandalismA24.35.5

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 Point Lay compares with nearby cities

Point Lay has less crime than 7 of its 10 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Point LayA863A-A+362
Wainwright 97 milesA-783B+A+699
Point Hope 130 milesA-794B+A860
Kivalina 140 milesA914AA+629
Kotzebue 193 milesB658B-A3,000
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Atqasuk 144 milesA-786B+A+307
Noatak 149 milesA904AA+1,030
Barrow 183 milesB+719BA4,580
Browerville 184 milesA904AA+204
Kiana 198 milesA854A-A+451
Noorvik 204 milesB+696B-A698

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Point Lay. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Point Lay has more crime than 98% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Point LayA863A-A+362
Bonita, TXA+987A+A+362
Buffalo, INA+978A+A+362
Middleton, KYA+974A+A+362
Prairieville, ILA+974A+A+362
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Wesley, GAA+966A+A+362
Rockland, KYA+965A+A+362
Inglenook, CAA+960A+A+362
Big Rock, OHA+959A+A+362
Ware, MOA+946A+A+362
Rose City, ARF0FC+362

What crime costs Point Lay

Crime costs Point Lay about $2,062 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 71% 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 $890,000 a year, or $2,468 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$84,000$231
Rape$12,000$33
Robbery$620$2
Assault$54,000$151
Burglary$2,500$7
Theft$1,900$5
Vehicle theft$4,000$11
Arson$1,100$3
Vandalism$11,000$31
Total$170,000$473

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 Point Lay 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
  • 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 Point Lay

Schools in Point Lay, AK average a SchoolGrade of D-: 7% of students test proficient, against 15% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Point Lay on SchoolGrade