The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wake Forest, NC: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A-
Property Crime Grade	B+
Other Crime Grade	C-

Which crimes are included?

$27.0 million

Cost of Crime™ for Wake Forest, NC

In 2025, crime will cost $959 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest, NC Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Wake Forest's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Wake Forest sits in the 60th percentile, ahead of 60% of cities and behind 40%. The grade covers only Wake Forest's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Wake Forest is 20.87 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the east part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 35 in the west neighborhoods to 1 in 60 in the east.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of Wake Forest, NC report the most crime, about 289 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 131 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Wake Forest, NC

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Wake Forest for 2025 is $26,965,815, about $335 per resident and $959 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.4%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.7%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Wake Forest Compared to Other Cities?

Wake Forest, NC:	$335
Enfield, NC:	$1641
St. James, NC:	$251
North Carolina:	$538
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Wake Forest is $335 per year, which is $129 less than the national average and $202 less than North Carolina's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Wake Forest:

In Enfield, NC, crime costs $1,641 per person, which is $1,306 more than in Wake Forest.
In St. James, NC, crime costs $251 per person, which is $85 less than in Wake Forest

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Wake Forest for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Wake Forest	Cost per Wake Forest Resident
Murder	$8.91 million	$111
Rape/Sexual Assault	$2.16 million	$27
Robbery	$843,596	$10
Assault	$2.64 million	$33
Kidnapping	$501,770	$6
Vehicle Theft	$2.90 million	$36
Burglary	$733,778	$9
Theft	$2.28 million	$28
Arson	$179,091	$2
Vandalism	$1.82 million	$23
Animal Cruelty	$46,911	$1
Drug Crimes	$3.85 million	$48
Identity Theft	$112,947	$1
Total Cost of Crime	$26,965,815	$335

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Wake Forest, NC

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 Wake Forest totals $70,406,818 ($876 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $97,372,633 ($1,211 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 central part of the city 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 Wake Forest has 7, do the same, and of Wake Forest's 80,416 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 Wake Forest, NC at ISP Reports.

Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.142
Robbery	0.3335
Rape	0.4424
Murder	0.0590
Total Violent Crime	1.977 (A-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	5.467
Vehicle Theft	2.327
Burglary	1.006
Arson	0.0922
Total Property Crime	8.892 (B+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1029
Drug Crimes	6.474
Vandalism	3.165
Identity Theft	0.1815
Animal Cruelty	0.0789
Total "Other" Rate	10.00 (C-)

Individual Wake Forest Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Wake Forest is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Wake Forest.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Rolesville, NC	A-	A	A+
Youngsville, NC	B	A-	B
Grissom, NC	C-	B	D+
Raleigh, NC	C-	C+	D+
Katesville, NC	D-	D-	D-
North Side, NC	D	D-	D
Zebulon, NC	C-	C	D+
Bunn, NC	C+	D+	B+
Louisburg, NC	D	D	D
Gorman, NC	F	F	F

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Wake Forest is similar versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Vernon, OH	C	B-	B-
Veseli, MN	A-	A	A
Warren, OH	D+	C	C
Walker, WV	A-	B+	B+
Wabeno, WI	C	D-	D-
Wabun, VA	B+	A	A
Wabuska, NV	D	F	F
Watson, AL	B-	B-	B-
Wacissa, FL	A+	A	A
Warrensville, NC	B-	B	B

Considering only the crime rate, Wake Forest is safer than the North Carolina 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 Wake Forest, NC average SchoolGrade of A-, with 58% actual proficiency versus 50% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Wake Forest 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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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.