West Bay is a community of 2,230 in Bay County, about 8 miles west of downtown Panama City · Updated November 2026
Is West Bay, FL safe?
Yes, crime in West Bay is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, West Bay sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 58% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 871 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
58% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than West Bay as a whole, and 42% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. West Bay scores 871.
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 West Bay, FL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in West Bay, 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 West Bay
Crime per resident runs lower than the grade suggests. Few people come to West Bay to work or shop: it has only 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. With few visitors, its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ weighs each crime against the people, homes and parked cars actually here.
Crime rates and types in West Bay
CrimeGrade™ estimates West Bay has about 19 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 48% less than the US as a whole and 37% 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.
The largest share of crime reported in West Bay is assault, about 40% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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 West Bay compares with nearby cities
West Bay has less crime than 7 of its 8 nearest cities; only Lynn Haven has less.
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs West Bay about $564 a year per household, 53% 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 $1.4 million a year, or $633 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$56,000
$25
Rape
$32,000
$14
Robbery
$3,400
$2
Assault
$200,000
$90
Burglary
$28,000
$13
Theft
$86,000
$39
Vehicle theft
$12,000
$5
Arson
$1,100
under $1
Vandalism
$32,000
$14
Total
$450,000
$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 West Bay 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
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 West Bay, FL average a SchoolGrade of B: 59% of students test proficient, against 53% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in West Bay on SchoolGrade
