The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Polson, MT: Crime Maps and Statistics

D+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D
Property Crime Grade	D
Other Crime Grade	C+

Which crimes are included?

$4.37 million

Cost of Crime™ for Polson, MT

In 2025, crime will cost $1,095 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Polson 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 Polson, MT Safe?

The D+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Polson's combined rate is higher than the norm. Polson sits in the 25th percentile, ahead of 25% of cities and behind 75%. The grade covers only Polson's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Polson is 34.64 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 20 in the west neighborhoods to 1 in 41 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Polson, MT report the most crime, about 63 cases per year. The north part reports the fewest, around 5 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Polson, MT

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Polson for 2025 is $4,367,570, about $456 per resident and $1,095 per household. That equals 1.2% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 59.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 28.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.0%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Polson Compared to Other Cities?

Polson, MT:	$456
Wolf Point, MT:	$1168
Columbia Falls, MT:	$251
Montana:	$495
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Polson is $456 per year, which is $8 less than the national average and $39 less than Montana's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Polson:

In Wolf Point, MT, crime costs $1,168 per person, which is $711 more than in Polson.
In Columbia Falls, MT, crime costs $251 per person, which is $205 less than in Polson

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Polson for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Polson	Cost per Polson Resident
Murder	$451,558	$47
Rape/Sexual Assault	$611,352	$64
Robbery	$87,099	$9
Assault	$1.11 million	$116
Kidnapping	$188,003	$20
Vehicle Theft	$303,328	$32
Burglary	$234,890	$25
Theft	$816,785	$85
Arson	$39,121	$4
Vandalism	$312,423	$33
Animal Cruelty	$11,519	$1
Drug Crimes	$155,306	$16
Identity Theft	$44,195	$5
Total Cost of Crime	$4,367,570	$456

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Polson, MT

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 Polson totals $6,257,608 ($653 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $10,625,177 ($1,109 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 central part of the city 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 Polson has 4, do the same, and of Polson's 9,577 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 Polson, MT at ISP Reports.

Polson 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 Polson residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	4.043
Robbery	0.2891
Rape	1.053
Murder	0.0251
Total Violent Crime	5.410 (D)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	16.47
Vehicle Theft	2.045
Burglary	2.704
Arson	0.1692
Total Property Crime	21.39 (D)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.3238
Drug Crimes	2.192
Vandalism	4.566
Identity Theft	0.5962
Animal Cruelty	0.1626
Total "Other" Rate	7.841 (C+)

Individual Polson Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Polson is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Polson.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Pablo, MT	D	D	D-
Big Arm, MT	C-	D+	D+
Ronan, MT	D	D-	D+
Dayton, MT	C-	D+	D
Elmo, MT	D+	D+	D
Rollins, MT	C-	D-	C-
Bear Dance, MT	D+	D-	D+
Kicking Horse, MT	C	D-	B-
Proctor, MT	C-	D-	C-
Salmon Prairie, MT	C-	C-	D

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Polson is higher versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Vale, NC	D+	C-	C-
Ventnor City, NJ	C-	D+	D+
Venetia, PA	A+	A+	A+
Veneta, OR	D	C-	C-
Vandergrift, PA	B+	B	B
Vandalia, IL	C-	C+	C+
Van Alstyne, TX	B+	B	B
Valley Park, MO	D+	C	C
Valley Cottage, NY	A	B	B
Valley Center, KS	B-	B	B

Considering only the crime rate, Polson is as safe as the Montana state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Polson, MT average SchoolGrade of D, with 26% actual proficiency versus 29% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Polson 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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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.