The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wakulla County, FL

Wakulla County is home to 35,400 residents and includes Sopchoppy and St. Marks · Updated November 2026

Is Wakulla County, FL safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Wakulla County has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 83% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map and the safest and least safe places below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 944 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

83% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Wakulla County as a whole, and 17% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Wakulla County scores 944.

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 949 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 934 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Wakulla County

Map of Wakulla 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 Wakulla County, FL at ISP Reports.

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

Car thefts are uncommon. Wakulla County has car thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.70 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.


How places in Wakulla County compare

Every part of Wakulla County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Wakulla County run from A+ to A; every part of Wakulla County has 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. 1Sopchoppy1,790A+959
  2. 2Wakulla3,830A+941

Most crime

  1. 1Panacea2,150A912
  2. 2Crawfordville25,800A+937

Cities and towns in Wakulla 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 west side has the least crime and the center the most.


Is crime going up in Wakulla County?

Reported crime in Wakulla County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 32% and property crime down 56%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.3 to 1.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 15 to 6.6 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 20% and property crime fell 19%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Wakulla CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Wakulla County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Wakulla CountyViolent, USProperty, Wakulla CountyProperty, US
2016-28%+4%+6%+15%
2017+21%+4%+6%+12%
2018-21%+0%+9%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+7%+4%-17%-8%
2021-2%+6%-28%-10%
2022-10%+5%-39%-6%
2023-15%+2%-46%-7%
2024-32%-4%-56%-15%

Crime rates and types in Wakulla County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Wakulla County has about 18 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 52% less than the US as a whole and 42% less than Florida.

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 Wakulla County, about 34% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.020.05
RapeA+50.150.38
RobberyA+under 10.020.62
AssaultA2146.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA752.12.4
TheftA2025.713.1
Vehicle theftA+250.702.7
ArsonA+10.030.12
VandalismA+1073.05.5

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 Wakulla County

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

In Wakulla County, 64% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (64%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (72%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (65%)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 Wakulla County compares with nearby counties

Wakulla County has less crime than 7 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Wakulla CountyA+944A+A+35,400
Leon County 20 milesB678BB+297,500
Gadsden County 32 milesA881AA43,700
Jefferson County 34 milesA+946A+A+15,100
Liberty County 37 milesA+961A+A+7,690
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Franklin County 40 milesA886AA12,600
Taylor County 45 milesA906AA21,500
Grady County, GA 48 milesA+929A+A26,100
Decatur County, GA 50 milesA875AA29,200
Calhoun County 51 milesA+947A+A+13,500
Thomas County, GA 52 milesA872AA45,800

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Wakulla 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, Wakulla County is safer than 50% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Wakulla CountyA+944A+A+35,400
Becker County, MNA+977A+A+35,300
Brookings County, SDA+970A+A+35,400
Morrow County, OHA+968A+A+35,400
Floyd County, KYA+963A+A+35,200
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Madison County, NEA+962A+A+35,500
Greenup County, KYA+959A+A+35,500
Perry County, OHA+950A+A+35,500
Wise County, VAA912AA35,400
Wapello County, IAA880AA35,400
DeSoto County, FLA849A-A35,400

Walkability, jobs and night lighting in Wakulla County

Two things set Wakulla County apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (3 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 18 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, and it runs low here.

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. 99% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 99% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.18 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower 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.19% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 97% of Americans
Show all 6
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 Wakulla County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.8.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 85% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.7% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 72% of Americans

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

Crime costs Wakulla County about $600 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 50% 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 $23 million a year, or $657 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.3 million$36
Rape$320,000$9
Robbery$24,000$1
Assault$2.7 million$76
Burglary$680,000$19
Theft$1.0 million$29
Vehicle theft$380,000$11
Arson$25,000$1
Vandalism$760,000$21
Total$7.2 million$203

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 Wakulla 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 Wakulla County

Schools in Wakulla County, FL average a SchoolGrade of B-: 53% of students test proficient, against 50% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Wakulla County on SchoolGrade