The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Roscommon County, MI

Roscommon County is home to 23,700 residents and includes Roscommon · Updated November 2026

Is Roscommon County, MI safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Roscommon County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Roscommon County run from A+ to B+, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 924 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Roscommon County as a whole, and 25% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Roscommon County scores 924.

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 904 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 957 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Roscommon County

Map of Roscommon County 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 Roscommon County, MI at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Roscommon 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 Roscommon County

Reported rapes run above the US rate. Roscommon County has less crime than the US as a whole, 29% below the US rate, but more reported rapes: 1.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.38 nationally.

Car thefts are uncommon. Roscommon County has car thefts at less than half the US rate: 1.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Roscommon County

Every part of Roscommon County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Roscommon County run from A+ to B+; 88% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Roscommon8,740A+945
  2. 2St. Helen4,100A+941

Most crime

  1. 1Houghton Lake7,210A872
  2. 2Prudenville4,330A916

Cities and towns in Roscommon County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the northwest side has the least crime and the west side the most.


Crime rates and types in Roscommon County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Roscommon County has about 26 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 29% less than the US as a whole and 24% less than 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 Roscommon County, about 46% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+20.070.05
RapeB+261.10.38
RobberyA+20.070.62
AssaultA28612.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+461.92.4
TheftA+1466.113.1
Vehicle theftA+271.12.7
ArsonA+30.130.12
VandalismA+863.65.5

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.


Where and when crime happens in Roscommon County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Roscommon County, 2022 to 2024.

In Roscommon County, 68% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often at homes: 71% of them, against 33% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (68%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (71%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
VandalismHomes (54%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (69%)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.


How Roscommon County compares with nearby counties

Of the 10 counties closest to Roscommon County, 8 have less crime. Oscoda County and Crawford County have the least.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Roscommon CountyA+924AA+23,700
Crawford County 20 milesA+970A+A+13,400
Ogemaw County 26 milesA+958A+A+20,900
Missaukee County 26 milesA+942A+A+15,200
Gladwin County 29 milesA+950A+A+25,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Clare County 30 milesA922AA+31,200
Oscoda County 34 milesA+974A+A+8,420
Kalkaska County 35 milesA+928AA+18,200
Wexford County 42 milesA909AA+34,100
Arenac County 44 milesA+952A+A+15,100
Otsego County 44 milesA+947A+A+25,600

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Roscommon 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, Roscommon County has more crime than 79% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Roscommon CountyA+924AA+23,700
Vilas County, WIA+988A+A+23,600
Iowa County, WIA+981A+A+23,900
Ohio County, KYA+972A+A+23,700
Upshur County, WVA+955A+A+23,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Page County, VAA+953A+A+23,700
Hood River County, ORA+948A+A+23,900
Winston County, ALA+946A+A+23,700
McDonald County, MOA+944A+A+23,700
Bell County, KYA+928A+A23,500
Seminole County, OKA923A+A23,500

Density, night lighting and walkability in Roscommon County

Two things set Roscommon County apart: it has 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 16% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less robbery.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 99% 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.16% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 98% 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. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of Americans
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 97% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.24 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 96% of Americans
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 Roscommon County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Roscommon County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Roscommon County

Crime costs Roscommon County about $896 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 26% 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 $44 million a year, or $1,833 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$3.3 million$139
Rape$1.6 million$67
Robbery$52,000$2
Assault$3.0 million$128
Burglary$420,000$18
Theft$750,000$32
Vehicle theft$410,000$17
Arson$74,000$3
Vandalism$610,000$26
Total$10 million$430

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 Roscommon 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
  • 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 Roscommon County

Schools in Roscommon County, MI average a SchoolGrade of C-: 33% of students test proficient, against 31% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Roscommon County on SchoolGrade