The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Lafayette, IN: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$31.2 million

Cost of Crime™ for West Lafayette, IN

In 2025, crime will cost $1,016 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of West Lafayette 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 West Lafayette, IN Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where West Lafayette's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. West Lafayette sits in the 61st percentile, ahead of 61% of cities and behind 39%. The grade covers only West Lafayette's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in West Lafayette is 20.55 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the central part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 21 in the south neighborhoods to 1 in 106 in the central.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the south parts of West Lafayette, IN report the most crime, about 796 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 23 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in West Lafayette, IN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in West Lafayette for 2025 is $31,201,498, about $448 per resident and $1,016 per household. That equals 1.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 49.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 38.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.3%

How Much Does Crime Cost in West Lafayette Compared to Other Cities?

West Lafayette, IN:	$448
Notre Dame, IN:	$1359
Roanoke, IN:	$181
Indiana:	$402
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in West Lafayette is $448 per year, which is $17 less than the national average and $45 more than Indiana's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to West Lafayette:

In Notre Dame, IN, crime costs $1,359 per person, which is $912 more than in West Lafayette.
In Roanoke, IN, crime costs $181 per person, which is $267 less than in West Lafayette

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to West Lafayette	Cost per West Lafayette Resident
Murder	$14.8 million	$213
Rape/Sexual Assault	$2.27 million	$33
Robbery	$578,135	$8
Assault	$2.68 million	$38
Kidnapping	$2.33 million	$33
Vehicle Theft	$1.26 million	$18
Burglary	$1.06 million	$15
Theft	$3.65 million	$52
Arson	$121,825	$2
Vandalism	$813,954	$12
Animal Cruelty	$13,054	$0
Drug Crimes	$1.33 million	$19
Identity Theft	$257,947	$4
Total Cost of Crime	$31,201,498	$448

The Intangible Cost of Crime in West Lafayette, IN

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 West Lafayette totals $109,865,882 ($1,576 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $141,067,380 ($2,024 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 southeast 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 West Lafayette has 8, do the same, and of West Lafayette's 69,711 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 West Lafayette, IN at ISP Reports.

West Lafayette 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 West Lafayette residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.340
Robbery	0.2637
Rape	0.5365
Murder	0.1132
Total Violent Crime	2.254 (B)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	10.11
Vehicle Theft	1.172
Burglary	1.673
Arson	0.0724
Total Property Crime	13.03 (C+)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.5523
Drug Crimes	2.576
Vandalism	1.634
Identity Theft	0.4781
Animal Cruelty	0.0253
Total "Other" Rate	5.266 (B+)

Individual West Lafayette Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in West Lafayette is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to West Lafayette.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Ravinamy, IN	B-	B+	C+
Lafayette, IN	B-	C+	C+
Delp, IN	A+	A+	A+
Cairo, IN	A+	A	A+
Shadeland, IN	A+	A-	A+
Montmorenci, IN	A+	A	A+
Battle Ground, IN	A+	A	A+
Otterbein, IN	A+	A	A-
Westpoint, IN	A+	A-	A+
Dayton, IN	A+	A+	A+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

West Lafayette is lower 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
Bayonne, NJ	B-	B-	B-
Lilburn, GA	B+	B	B
Hendersonville, TN	C	C	C
Brick, NJ	A+	A+	A+
Euless, TX	D+	C+	C+
Maple Grove, MN	C	B+	B+
Dale City, VA	B-	A-	A-
Council Bluffs, IA	C+	B-	B-
White Plains, NY	C+	D+	D+
Burleson, TX	C+	C	C

Considering only the crime rate, West Lafayette is safer than the Indiana 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 West Lafayette, IN average SchoolGrade of A-, with 54% actual proficiency versus 50% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See West Lafayette 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.