The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Rio Rico, AZ
Rio Rico is an unincorporated community of 20,900 in Santa Cruz County, about 50 miles south of downtown Tucson · Updated November 2026
Is Rio Rico, AZ safe?
Yes. An overall CrimeGrade™ of A- means crime in Rio Rico is low. Most US neighborhoods have little crime too, so Rio Rico sits near the middle: 48% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime, and 52% in neighborhoods with less. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Rio Rico run from A+ to B-, so check the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 825 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
48% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Rio Rico as a whole, and 52% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Rio Rico scores 825.
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 Rio Rico, AZ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Rio Rico, 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 Rio Rico
Aggravated assault is a strength. Rio Rico grades B+ for violent crime, but aggravated assault grades A, better than in the neighborhoods where 70% of Americans live.
Thefts and simple assaults both run low. In Rio Rico, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 1.5 thefts and 2.8 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 9.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Rio Rico
Every part of Rio Rico where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Rio Rico run from A+ to B-; 56% 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.
Within Rio Rico, the north side has the least crime and the south side the most.
Crime rates and types in Rio Rico
CrimeGrade™ estimates Rio Rico has about 9.1 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 76% less than the US as a whole and 77% less than Arizona.
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.
Assault is the most common crime in Rio Rico, about 40% of everything reported.
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 Rio Rico compares with nearby cities
Rio Rico has more crime than 4 of its 5 nearest cities. Sonoita and Amado have the least crime nearby.
Two things set Rio Rico apart: it has 7 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 10% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, and theft runs low here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.7 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% of US city residents
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.10% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
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. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.3.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% of US city residents
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 93% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.5 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 91% of US city residents
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 Rio Rico
Crime costs Rio Rico about $1,452 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 20% 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 $56 million a year, or $2,658 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$7.2 million
$345
Rape
$160,000
$8
Robbery
$23,000
$1
Assault
$930,000
$44
Burglary
$76,000
$4
Theft
$170,000
$8
Vehicle theft
$160,000
$8
Arson
$15,000
$1
Vandalism
$380,000
$18
Total
$9.1 million
$436
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 Rio Rico 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. Rio Rico is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower 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
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 Rio Rico, AZ average a SchoolGrade of C-: 27% of students test proficient, against 21% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Rio Rico on SchoolGrade
