Wisconsin Dells is a city of 6,540 in Columbia County, about 45 miles northwest of downtown Madison · Updated November 2026
Is Wisconsin Dells, WI safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Wisconsin Dells: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Violent crime grades A+ and property crime A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 923 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
75% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Wisconsin Dells as a whole, and 25% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Wisconsin Dells scores 923.
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 Wisconsin Dells, WI at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Wisconsin Dells, 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 Wisconsin Dells
Crime per resident runs higher than the grade. Wisconsin Dells draws many workers, shoppers and visitors: it has 66 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Crimes against them are counted against the few who live here, so crime per resident looks higher than the CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ counts everyone who spends time here.
Crime rates and types in Wisconsin Dells
CrimeGrade™ estimates Wisconsin Dells has about 45 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 22% more than the US as a whole and 85% more than Wisconsin.
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.
Theft makes up about 41% of crime reported in Wisconsin Dells. Assault is less common but costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 Wisconsin Dells compares with nearby cities
Of the 7 cities closest to Wisconsin Dells, 6 have less crime. Oxford and Plainville have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Wisconsin Dells. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Wisconsin Dells has more crime than 62% of them.
Shops, parking lots and walkability in Wisconsin Dells
Two things set Wisconsin Dells apart: it has 33.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 5.6 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.33.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.5.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 98% 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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 58% 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.42% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 90% 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 89% 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 Wisconsin Dells: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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 Wisconsin Dells
Crime costs Wisconsin Dells about $1,129 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 6% 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 $9.7 million a year, or $1,486 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$530,000
$81
Rape
$220,000
$34
Robbery
$22,000
$3
Assault
$1.1 million
$168
Burglary
$74,000
$11
Theft
$620,000
$95
Vehicle theft
$100,000
$16
Arson
$7,500
$1
Vandalism
$410,000
$62
Total
$3.1 million
$472
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 Wisconsin Dells 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 Wisconsin Dells, WI average a SchoolGrade of D+: 36% of students test proficient, against 40% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Wisconsin Dells on SchoolGrade
