River Rouge is a city of 7,010 in Wayne County, about 6 miles southwest of downtown Detroit · Updated November 2026
Is River Rouge, MI safe?
Crime in River Rouge is high, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of F. Most US neighborhoods have far less: 94% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than River Rouge. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, B against F. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from D- to F; see the map below.
F
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 0 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
6% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than River Rouge as a whole, and 94% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. River Rouge scores 0.
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 River Rouge, MI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in River Rouge, 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 River Rouge
Reported rape stands out among F-graded cities. For the typical resident of an F-graded US city, the figure is 0.34 reported rapes a year per 1,000 residents; River Rouge has 1.5.
Aggravated assaults and simple assaults both run high. In River Rouge, each runs at more than triple the US rate: 15.4 aggravated assaults and 35.0 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 9.7 nationally.
Crime rates and types in River Rouge
CrimeGrade™ estimates River Rouge has about 95 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and more than double the rate for Michigan.
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 River Rouge, about 53% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.
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.
The River Rouge Police Department sent the FBI no usable 2024 counts of aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary, theft, vehicle theft and vandalism, so CrimeGrade™ built the figures from the department's own reports for recent years, brought up to 2024.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
How River Rouge compares with nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to River Rouge, 9 have less crime. Allen Park and Riverview have the least.
Two things set River Rouge apart: it has 6.6 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 15 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places with a lot of parking-lot space tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.6.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 99% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.15 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 92% 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.C (37 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 87% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.12.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 92% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 84% 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 River Rouge
Crime costs River Rouge about $4,183 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, about triple 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 $49 million a year, or $6,970 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$3.4 million
$488
Rape
$620,000
$89
Robbery
$170,000
$25
Assault
$4.9 million
$694
Burglary
$210,000
$30
Theft
$620,000
$88
Vehicle theft
$360,000
$52
Arson
$80,000
$11
Vandalism
$870,000
$125
Total
$11 million
$1,602
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 River Rouge 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 River Rouge, MI average a SchoolGrade of F: 13% of students test proficient, against 16% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in River Rouge on SchoolGrade
