Crime in Reliance, SD

Reliance is a town of 336 in Lyman County · Updated November 2026

Is Reliance, SD safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Reliance has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 99% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 990 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

99% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Reliance as a whole, and 1% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Reliance scores 990.

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 989 of 1,000Less violent crime than nearly all US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 991 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Reliance

Map of Reliance 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 Reliance, SD at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Reliance, 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 Reliance

CrimeGrade™ estimates Reliance has about 34 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 8% less than the US as a whole and close to South Dakota.

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.

Vandalism is the most common crime in Reliance, about 53% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.140.05
RapeA+under 10.680.38
RobberyA+under 10.060.62
AssaultA+39.812.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+under 10.962.4
TheftA+13.013.1
Vehicle theftA+under 10.982.7
ArsonA+under 10.260.12
VandalismA+618.25.5

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 Reliance compares with nearby cities

Reliance has less crime than 6 of its 10 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
RelianceA+990A+A+336
Lyman 8 milesA+992A+A+73
Oacoma 11 milesA+980A+A+759
Kennebec 14 milesA+987A+A+264
Iona 14 milesA+992A+A+49
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Chamberlain 14 milesA+946A+A+3,050
Lower Brule 15 milesA+968A+A+1,520
Fort Thompson 16 milesA+947A+A+1,410
Shelby 19 milesA+987A+A+321
Hamill 20 milesA+995A+A+190
Pukwana 20 milesA+991A+A+584

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Reliance is safer than 84% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
RelianceA+990A+A+336
Cordova, NEA+997A+A+336
Fayette, NYA+985A+A+336
Palestine, PAA+982A+A+336
Klingville, MIA+981A+A+336
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Orick, CAA+974A+A+336
Leander, LAA+969A+A+336
Collinwood, VAA+966A+A+336
Oaklawn, GAA+964A+A+336
Thayer Corners, NYA+962A+A+336
Shunk, PAA+951A+A+336

What crime costs Reliance

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Reliance about $1,668 a year per household, 38% 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 $930,000 a year, or $2,757 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$89,000$266
Rape$14,000$41
Robbery$630$2
Assault$43,000$128
Burglary$2,900$9
Theft$5,200$15
Vehicle theft$5,000$15
Arson$2,100$6
Vandalism$43,000$129
Total$210,000$611

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 Reliance 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. Reliance is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.

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 Reliance

Schools in Reliance, SD average a SchoolGrade of D: 39% of students test proficient, against 34% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Reliance on SchoolGrade