The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Wildwood, FL

Wildwood is a city of 22,700 in Sumter County and the main city of the Wildwood metro area, home to 143,400 · Updated November 2026

Is Wildwood, FL safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Wildwood: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 74% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 921 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

74% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Wildwood as a whole, and 26% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Wildwood scores 921.

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 896 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 962 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Wildwood

Map of Wildwood 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 Wildwood, FL at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Wildwood, 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 Wildwood

Thefts and acts of vandalism both run low. In Wildwood, each runs at less than half the US rate: 4.0 thefts and 1.7 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 and 5.5 nationally.

Car thefts happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Wildwood, 62% of reported car thefts happen at homes, against 33% nationally.


The safest and least safe parts of Wildwood

Every part of Wildwood where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Wildwood run from A+ to A; every part of Wildwood 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.

Within Wildwood, the south side has the least crime and the west side the most.


Crime rates and types in Wildwood

CrimeGrade™ estimates Wildwood has about 16 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 57% less than the US as a whole and 48% 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 Wildwood is assault, about 53% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderAunder 10.030.05
RapeA40.190.38
RobberyA+20.070.62
AssaultA-1908.412.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+140.622.4
TheftA+914.013.1
Vehicle theftA+170.732.7
ArsonA20.100.12
VandalismA+391.75.5

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 Wildwood

The Sumter County Sheriff's Office polices Wildwood, and these figures cover every place it serves, 2022 to 2024.

In Wildwood, 74% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 50% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (74%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (62%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from carsHomes (50%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (60%)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 Wildwood compares with nearby cities

Wildwood has more crime than 5 of its 8 nearest cities. Sumterville and Oxford have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
WildwoodA921AA+22,700
Coleman 4 milesA+956A+A+1,210
The Villages 5 milesA+932AA+68,700
Orange Home 5 milesA+954A+A+6,830
Silver Springs Shores 18 milesB+705BA8,750
Show all 9
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Oxford 6 milesA+961A+A+5,770
Fruitland Park 7 milesA854A-A15,500
Lake Panasoffkee 8 milesA917AA+5,420
Lady Lake 8 milesA919AA33,600
Sumterville 8 milesA+962A+A+1,670

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Wildwood. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Wildwood is safer than 62% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
WildwoodA921AA+22,700
Hayden, IDA+934A+A+22,700
Hoschton, GAA916AA22,700
Centerton, ARA907AA+22,700
Altoona, IAA896AA22,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Alvarado, TXA891AA22,700
Perry, GAA848AA-22,700
Durant, OKA-846AA-22,700
Clinton, UTA-844AA-22,700
Anderson, CAA-800A-A-22,800
Montclair, VAA-792A-A-22,800

Parking lots, density and walkability in Wildwood

Two things set Wildwood apart: it has 5.8 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally, and 1% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with a lot of parking-lot space tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.

Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.5.8 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower 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. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 89% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 88% of US city residents
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 Wildwood: F (1 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.56 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 71% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Wildwood 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 Wildwood

Crime costs Wildwood about $477 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 60% 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 $17 million a year, or $761 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.5 million$64
Rape$260,000$12
Robbery$51,000$2
Assault$1.8 million$78
Burglary$130,000$6
Theft$470,000$21
Vehicle theft$250,000$11
Arson$56,000$2
Vandalism$280,000$12
Total$4.7 million$208

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 Wildwood 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 Wildwood

Schools in Wildwood, FL average a SchoolGrade of B: 55% of students test proficient, against 43% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Wildwood on SchoolGrade