The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wadena County, MN: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Wadena County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Wadena County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Wadena County, MN Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

B

Overall Crime Grade™

C-
B
Other Crime Grade
B+

$5.39 million

Cost of Crime™ for Wadena County, MN

In 2025, crime will cost $877 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Wadena County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Wadena County, MN Safe?

The B overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Wadena County's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Wadena County sits in the 65th percentile, ahead of 65% of counties and behind 35%. The grade covers only Wadena County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Wadena County is 25.60 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 27 in the west areas to 1 in 55 in the southeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Wadena County, MN report the most crime, about 91 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 15 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Wadena County, MN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Wadena County for 2025 is $5,392,501, about $371 per resident and $877 per household. That equals 1.2% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 58.1%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 29.4%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Wadena County Compared to Other Counties?

Wadena County, MN: $371
Hennepin County, MN: $582
Sherburne County, MN: $250
Minnesota: $409
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Wadena County is $371 per year, which is $93 less than the national average and $38 less than Minnesota's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Wadena County:
  • In Hennepin County, MN, crime costs $582 per person, which is $211 more than in Wadena County.
  • In Sherburne County, MN, crime costs $250 per person, which is $121 less than in Wadena County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Wadena County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Wadena County
Cost per Wadena County Resident
Murder
$1.10 million
$76
Rape/Sexual Assault
$642,326
$44
Robbery
$294,492
$20
Assault
$1.20 million
$83
Kidnapping
$100,924
$7
Vehicle Theft
$127,570
$9
Burglary
$260,019
$18
Theft
$831,913
$57
Arson
$38,961
$3
Vandalism
$390,543
$27
Animal Cruelty
$6,853
$0
Drug Crimes
$315,557
$22
Identity Theft
$84,546
$6
Total Cost of Crime
$5,392,501
$371

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Wadena County, MN

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Wadena County totals $10,830,326 ($745 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $16,222,827 ($1,116 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The west part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Wadena County has 7, do the same, and of Wadena County's 14,543 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Wadena County, MN at ISP Reports.

Wadena County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Wadena County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
2.874
Robbery
0.6438
Rape
0.7284
Murder
0.0402
Total Violent Crime
4.287 (C-)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
11.05
Vehicle Theft
0.5665
Burglary
1.971
Arson
0.1109
Total Property Crime
13.69 (B)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1145
Drug Crimes
2.933
Vandalism
3.759
Identity Theft
0.7511
Animal Cruelty
0.0637
Total "Other" Rate
7.622 (B+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Wadena County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Wadena County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B
B-
B
B-
C+
C+
B+
B
B
B
B+
C+
B-
B-
C
B
B
C+
C
C+
C
B
B+
B-
C+
B
C
C+
A-
B

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Wadena County is lower versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B-
B
B
C+
C+
C+
D
C+
C+
B+
C-
C-
C+
B+
B+
C-
C-
C-
A+
A+
A+
D-
D-
D-
B-
B-
B-
B
B-
B-

Considering only the crime rate, Wadena County is safer than the Minnesota state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Wadena County, MN average SchoolGrade of C, with 37% actual proficiency versus 38% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Wadena County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 23 hours 31 minutes in Wadena County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Wadena County, MN

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.