The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wells County, ND: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Wells County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Wells 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.

 

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

D

Overall Crime Grade™

B-
C-
Other Crime Grade
F

$2.41 million

Cost of Crime™ for Wells County, ND

In 2025, crime will cost $1,282 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Wells 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 Wells County, ND Safe?

The D overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Wells County's combined rate is higher than the norm. Wells County sits in the 22nd percentile, ahead of 22% of counties and behind 78%. The grade covers only Wells County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Wells County is 42.65 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 22 in the northwest areas to 1 in 29 in the northeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northwest parts of Wells County, ND report the most crime, about 92 cases per year. The northeast part reports the fewest, around 4 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Wells County, ND

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Wells County for 2025 is $2,410,962, about $584 per resident and $1,282 per household. That equals 1.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 59.9%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 27.5%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.6%

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

Wells County, ND: $584
Cass County, ND: $452
Burleigh County, ND: $392
North Dakota: $485
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Wells County is $584 per year, which is $120 more than the national average and $99 more than North Dakota's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Wells County:
  • In Cass County, ND, crime costs $452 per person, which is $132 less than in Wells County.
  • In Burleigh County, ND, crime costs $392 per person, which is $192 less than in Wells County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Wells County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Wells County
Cost per Wells County Resident
Murder
$694,399
$168
Rape/Sexual Assault
$310,727
$75
Robbery
$51,999
$13
Assault
$187,776
$45
Kidnapping
$38,088
$9
Vehicle Theft
$67,003
$16
Burglary
$146,413
$35
Theft
$312,409
$76
Arson
$12,930
$3
Vandalism
$208,478
$51
Animal Cruelty
$6,826
$2
Drug Crimes
$334,067
$81
Identity Theft
$39,847
$10
Total Cost of Crime
$2,410,962
$584

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Wells County, ND

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 Wells County totals $6,159,097 ($1,492 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $8,570,059 ($2,076 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 northwest 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 Wells County has 1, do the same, and of Wells County's 4,128 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 Wells County, ND at ISP Reports.

Wells 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 Wells County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
1.584
Robbery
0.4005
Rape
1.241
Murder
0.0895
Total Violent Crime
3.315 (B-)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
14.61
Vehicle Theft
1.048
Burglary
3.911
Arson
0.1297
Total Property Crime
19.70 (C-)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1522
Drug Crimes
10.94
Vandalism
7.069
Identity Theft
1.247
Animal Cruelty
0.2235
Total "Other" Rate
19.63 (F)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

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

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

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Wells County is higher 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
C-
B-
B-
B+
B+
B+
D+
D
D
C-
C
C
D
C-
C-
D
F
F
C+
C-
C-
C
B-
B-
C-
B-
B-
C+
D
D

Considering only the crime rate, Wells County is less safe than the North Dakota state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Wells County, ND average SchoolGrade of C+, with 39% actual proficiency versus 40% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Wells 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

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Home Security Companies in Wells County, ND

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.