The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Rapid City, SD: Crime Maps and Statistics

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$35.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for Rapid City, SD

In 2025, crime will cost $992 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Rapid City 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 Rapid City, SD Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Rapid City's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Rapid City sits in the 31st percentile, ahead of 31% of cities and behind 69%. The grade covers only Rapid City's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Rapid City is 31.46 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 15 in the central neighborhoods to 1 in 74 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Rapid City, SD report the most crime, about 524 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 144 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Rapid City, SD

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Rapid City for 2025 is $35,515,645, about $423 per resident and $992 per household. That equals 1.0% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 59.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 27.9%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.3%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Rapid City Compared to Other Cities?

Rapid City, SD:	$423
Pine Ridge, SD:	$1414
Hartford, SD:	$223
South Dakota:	$484
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Rapid City is $423 per year, which is $41 less than the national average and $61 less than South Dakota's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Rapid City:

In Pine Ridge, SD, crime costs $1,414 per person, which is $992 more than in Rapid City.
In Hartford, SD, crime costs $223 per person, which is $200 less than in Rapid City

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Rapid City	Cost per Rapid City Resident
Murder	$6.41 million	$76
Rape/Sexual Assault	$4.89 million	$58
Robbery	$478,937	$6
Assault	$6.52 million	$78
Kidnapping	$978,287	$12
Vehicle Theft	$2.07 million	$25
Burglary	$1.80 million	$21
Theft	$5.18 million	$62
Arson	$190,151	$2
Vandalism	$3.06 million	$36
Animal Cruelty	$29,089	$0
Drug Crimes	$3.76 million	$45
Identity Theft	$161,553	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$35,515,645	$423

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Rapid City, SD

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 Rapid City totals $67,794,894 ($807 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $103,310,538 ($1,230 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 Rapid City has 25, do the same, and of Rapid City's 83,992 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 Rapid City, SD at ISP Reports.

Rapid City 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 Rapid City residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.702
Robbery	0.1813
Rape	0.9600
Murder	0.0406
Total Violent Crime	3.884 (C-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	11.90
Vehicle Theft	1.591
Burglary	2.363
Arson	0.0937
Total Property Crime	15.95 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1921
Drug Crimes	6.048
Vandalism	5.092
Identity Theft	0.2485
Animal Cruelty	0.0468
Total "Other" Rate	11.63 (D+)

Individual Rapid City Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Sulphur, SD	C	C-	B+
Rapid Valley, SD	B+	B+	B+
Ashland Heights, SD	B	B	A-
Black Hawk, SD	B-	C-	B-
Box Elder, SD	C+	B	B-
Johnson Siding, SD	B-	C	B
Summerset, SD	B-	C+	B-
Ellsworth Afb, SD	C	C-	B-
Piedmont, SD	B	D	A-
Bethlehem, SD	B-	C+	B

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Rapid City is similar 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
Pomona, CA	C-	D+	D+
Ponce, PR	F	F	F
Pompano Beach, FL	C	D+	D+
Oxnard, CA	C	D+	D+
Pacoima, CA	C	C-	C-
Pawtucket, RI	C+	B	B
Pasadena, TX	D	D	D
Parker, CO	D+	B-	B-
Palm Bay, FL	A	A-	A-
Parma, OH	D+	C-	C-

Considering only the crime rate, Rapid City is as safe as the South Dakota state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Rapid City, SD average SchoolGrade of C-, with 33% actual proficiency versus 37% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Rapid City 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.