The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Richland County, ND
Richland County is home to 16,600 residents and includes Wahpeton and Hankinson · Updated November 2026
Is Richland County, ND safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Richland County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 97% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 981 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
97% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Richland County as a whole, and 3% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Richland County scores 981.
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 Richland County, ND at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Richland County, 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
What stands out in Richland County
Crime per resident runs higher than the grade. Richland County draws many workers, shoppers and visitors: it has 1.6 bars and nightlife spots for every 1,000 residents, against 0.6 nationally. Crimes against them are counted against the few who live here, so crime per resident looks higher than the CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ counts everyone who spends time here.
The safest and least safe parts of Richland County
Every part of Richland County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Richland County run from A+ to A-; 79% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Across the county, the north side has the least crime and the Wahpeton area the most.
Is crime going up in Richland County?
Reported property crime in Richland County has fallen 34% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 20 to 13 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.
Property crime, change since 2019
Richland CountyUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Richland County. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Richland County
Property, US
2016
+3%
+15%
2017
-5%
+12%
2018
-10%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-4%
-8%
2021
-27%
-10%
2022
-20%
-6%
2023
-32%
-7%
2024
-34%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Richland County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Richland County has about 31 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 17% less than the US as a whole and 20% less than North 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Richland County, about 37% of everything reported, but assault 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 Richland County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Richland County, 2022 to 2024.
In Richland County, 56% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 37% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (42%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (37%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (42%)
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; they are over one in five for burglary, car theft, vandalism.
How Richland County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Richland County, 7 have less crime. Sargent County and Ransom County have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Richland County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with counties of similar size and density, Richland County is safer than 87% of them.
Transit, night lighting and walkability in Richland County
Richland County looks like a typical county on the traits that tend to go with crime.
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 Richland County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
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.63% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 76% of Americans
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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 55% of Americans
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.7.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 69% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.9% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 66% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.47 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 60% of Americans
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 Richland County
Crime costs Richland County about $742 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 38% 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 $13 million a year, or $804 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$650,000
$39
Rape
$630,000
$38
Robbery
$22,000
$1
Assault
$1.3 million
$81
Burglary
$200,000
$12
Theft
$980,000
$59
Vehicle theft
$300,000
$18
Arson
$61,000
$4
Vandalism
$800,000
$48
Total
$5.0 million
$300
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 Richland County 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 Richland County, ND average a SchoolGrade of B: 47% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Richland County on SchoolGrade
