The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Pensacola, FL
West Pensacola is an unincorporated community of 20,800 in Escambia County, about 4 miles west of downtown Pensacola · Updated November 2026
Is West Pensacola, FL safe?
West Pensacola is among the higher-crime places in the US: an overall CrimeGrade™ of D, with more crime than the neighborhoods where 91% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, C+ against F. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within West Pensacola run from B to F, so check the map below.
D
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 158 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
9% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than West Pensacola as a whole, and 91% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. West Pensacola scores 158.
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 Pensacola, FL at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in West Pensacola, 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 Pensacola
Car thefts are less common than in most D-graded cities. West Pensacola has 3.3 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a D-graded US city, the figure is 8.2.
Robberies run high. West Pensacola has robberies at more than triple the US rate: 2.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of West Pensacola
High crime is widespread across West Pensacola: 70% of residents live in areas graded D or F, and 3% in areas graded A or B. Grades across West Pensacola run from B to F; every part of West Pensacola has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
27%70%
A or B 3%C 27%D or F 70%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within West Pensacola, the west side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in West Pensacola
CrimeGrade™ estimates West Pensacola has about 82 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and more than double the rate for 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 Pensacola is assault, about 38% 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 Pensacola compares with nearby cities
West Pensacola has more crime than 8 of its 9 nearest cities. Pensacola and Gonzalez have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, shops and walkability in West Pensacola
Two things set West Pensacola apart: it has 17.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 16.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.17.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 98% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.16.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 92% of US city residents
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 and assault. 71% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (24 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 70% of US city residents
Show all 6
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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 86% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.23 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 83% of US city residents
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 West Pensacola
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs West Pensacola about $2,907 a year per household, more than double 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 $94 million a year, or $4,489 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$7.5 million
$361
Rape
$1.0 million
$48
Robbery
$1.4 million
$68
Assault
$7.6 million
$366
Burglary
$1.3 million
$63
Theft
$3.3 million
$158
Vehicle theft
$1.0 million
$50
Arson
$37,000
$2
Vandalism
$1,000,000
$48
Total
$24 million
$1,164
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 Pensacola 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 Pensacola, FL average a SchoolGrade of F: 39% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in West Pensacola on SchoolGrade
