The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Silver Bow County, MT

Silver Bow County is home to 35,800 residents and includes Walkerville · Updated November 2026

Is Silver Bow County, MT safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Silver Bow County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 60% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A and property crime A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Silver Bow County run from A+ to B-, so check the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 879 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

60% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Silver Bow County as a whole, and 40% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Silver Bow County scores 879.

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 902 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A-
Property crimeSafety score 840 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhood

How it works


Crime map of Silver Bow County

Map of Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County, MT at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County

Aggravated assault stands out among A-graded counties. For the typical resident of an A-graded US county, the figure is 1.6 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; Silver Bow County has 4.5.


The safest and least safe parts of Silver Bow County

Every part of Silver Bow County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Silver Bow County run from A+ to B-; 36% 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.

Across the county, the southwest side has the least crime and the north side the most.


Crime rates and types in Silver Bow County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Silver Bow County has about 46 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 23% more than the US as a whole and 31% more than Montana.

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 Silver Bow County, about 45% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does far more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.010.05
RapeA100.270.38
RobberyA+50.140.62
AssaultA-41411.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA1022.82.4
TheftB+73120.413.1
Vehicle theftA982.72.7
ArsonA80.220.12
VandalismA-2757.75.5

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 Silver Bow County

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

In Silver Bow County, 76% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 37% of them, against 18% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (76%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (37%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsStreets and sidewalks (37%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (33%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Aggravated assaultHomes (45%)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 Silver Bow County compares with nearby counties

Silver Bow County has the most crime of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Silver Bow CountyA879AA-35,800
Deer Lodge County 23 milesA+941A+A+9,600
Jefferson County 30 milesA+972A+A+12,800
Powell County 34 milesA+982A+A+7,050
Madison County 49 milesA+994A+A+9,220
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Granite County 49 milesA+990A+A+3,460
Broadwater County 51 milesA+984A+A+7,670
Lewis and Clark County 52 milesA+925A+A73,500
Beaverhead County 53 milesA+990A+A+9,710
Gallatin County 70 milesA920AA124,100
Ravalli County 80 milesA+968A+A+46,700

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Silver Bow 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, Silver Bow County has more crime than 89% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Silver Bow CountyA879AA-35,800
Livingston County, ILA+974A+A+35,600
Madison County, NEA+962A+A+35,500
Perry County, OHA+950A+A+35,500
Miami County, INA+949A+A+35,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Knox County, INA+938A+A+36,000
Lincoln County, TNA+932AA+35,900
Scotts Bluff County, NEA+924AA+35,800
Marshall County, TNA916AA+36,000
Webster Parish, LAA914AA+35,800
Ware County, GAA904AA36,000

Shops, empty homes and walkability in Silver Bow County

Silver Bow County looks like a typical county on the traits that tend to go with crime.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.14.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 94% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.9.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 85% 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. 64% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (25 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 78% of Americans
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.8% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 67% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.48 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 62% 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.85% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 54% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County

Crime costs Silver Bow County about $1,044 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 13% 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 $1,221 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$670,000$19
Rape$590,000$16
Robbery$160,000$4
Assault$6.4 million$179
Burglary$910,000$26
Theft$3.8 million$105
Vehicle theft$1.5 million$42
Arson$190,000$5
Vandalism$1.9 million$54
Total$16 million$451

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 Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County

Schools in Silver Bow County, MT average a SchoolGrade of C: 35% of students test proficient, against 37% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Silver Bow County on SchoolGrade