Putnam Heights is a neighborhood of 3,640 residents in Eau Claire, close to downtown · Updated November 2026
Is Putnam Heights in Eau Claire safe?
Yes, crime in Putnam Heights is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Putnam Heights sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 52% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. Eau Claire as a whole grades A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A to A-; see the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 846 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
52% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Putnam Heights as a whole, and 48% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Putnam Heights scores 846.
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 Putnam Heights, Eau Claire, WI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Putnam Heights in Eau Claire, 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 Putnam Heights
CrimeGrade™ estimates Putnam Heights has about 24 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 36% less than the US as a whole and 30% less than Eau Claire as a whole.
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.
Theft makes up about 39% of crime reported in Putnam Heights. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Eau Claire
The Eau Claire Police Department polices Putnam Heights; these figures cover Eau Claire as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Eau Claire as a whole, 57% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 41% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (57%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (45%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (41%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (29%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (41%)
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 Putnam Heights compares with nearby neighborhoods
Putnam Heights has less crime than 8 of its 10 nearest neighborhoods; only South Menomonie and Third Ward have less.
Density, transit and walkability in Putnam Heights
One thing sets Putnam Heights apart: it has 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less robbery and car theft.
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 98% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Putnam Heights: D- (11 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 95% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (22 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 69% of residents of US city neighborhoods
Show all 4
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.98% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 93% of residents of US city neighborhoods
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 Putnam Heights
Crime costs Putnam Heights about $614 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 49% 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 $1.9 million a year, or $535 per resident.
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 Putnam Heights 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 Putnam Heights, Eau Claire, WI average a SchoolGrade of B+: 51% of students test proficient, against 43% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Putnam Heights on SchoolGrade
