Swift County is home to 9,750 residents and includes Benson and Appleton · Updated November 2026
Is Swift County, MN safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Swift County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 98% 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 984 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
98% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Swift County as a whole, and 2% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Swift County scores 984.
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 Swift County, MN at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Swift 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 Swift County
Thefts are uncommon. Swift County has thefts at less than half the US rate: 5.3 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Crime rates and types in Swift County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Swift County has about 27 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 26% less than the US as a whole and close to Minnesota.
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.
Vandalism is the most common crime in Swift County, about 41% 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.
How Swift County compares with nearby counties
Swift County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.
Empty homes, transit and walkability in Swift County
Two things set Swift County apart: it has 10.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 4% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson, yet burglary runs lower here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.10.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 88% 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 Swift County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% 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. 74% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (19 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 61% 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.4% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 84% 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.56% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 80% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.38 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 64% 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 Swift County
Crime costs Swift County about $702 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 42% 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 $8.5 million a year, or $871 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$540,000
$55
Rape
$150,000
$15
Robbery
$46,000
$5
Assault
$860,000
$89
Burglary
$120,000
$12
Theft
$260,000
$27
Vehicle theft
$63,000
$6
Arson
$25,000
$3
Vandalism
$780,000
$80
Total
$2.9 million
$293
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 Swift 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. Swift County is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse 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 Swift County, MN average a SchoolGrade of C+: 38% of students test proficient, against 45% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Swift County on SchoolGrade
