Polk County, FL Violent Crime Rates and Maps

A+

Violent Crime Grade	A
Property Crime Grade	A
Other Crime Grade	A+

Which crimes are included?

$96.9 million

Cost of Crime™ for Polk County, FL

In 2025, violent crime will cost $347 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Polk County with the least violent crime and red marks the most, weighted by the type and severity of each offense. Violent crime concentrates where people gather after dark, near nightlife, bars, and transit, more than on residential streets. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read those hot spots.

The A grade reflects how often assault, robbery, rape, and murder occur in Polk County against the average US county, where the rate is much lower than the norm. Polk County sits in the 87th percentile for violent-crime safety, ahead of 87% of counties and behind 13%. The grade covers only Polk County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The violent crime rate in Polk County is 2.227 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 328 in the west areas to 1 in 751 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Polk County, FL report the most violent crime, about 358 cases per year. The east part reports the fewest, around 67 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Polk County, FL

The tangible cost of violent crime in Polk County is projected at $96,861,901 for 2025, about $124 per resident and $347 per household. That equals 0.4% of the median household income, and it counts only the bills that can be totaled: emergency care, lost wages, and the justice response. The larger cost, the harm to victims, comes later on this page. These tangible costs split into:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 43.1%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 43.3%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 13.5%

How Much Does Violent Crime Cost in Polk County Compared to Other Counties?

Polk County, FL:	$124
Miami-Dade County, FL:	$266
Martin County, FL:	$64
Florida:	$156
USA:	$258

The tangible cost of violent crime is $124 per resident each year in Polk County, which is $135 less than the national average and $32 less than Florida's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Polk County:

In Miami-Dade County, FL, crime costs $266 per person, which is $142 more than in Polk County.
In Martin County, FL, crime costs $64 per person, which is $60 less than in Polk County

2025 Projected Violent Crime Cost by Type

The table below breaks the violent-crime total into its four offenses for Polk County, with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Polk County	Cost per Polk County Resident
Murder	$39.2 million	$50
Rape/Sexual Assault	$14.7 million	$19
Robbery	$6.16 million	$8
Assault	$36.9 million	$47
Total Cost of Violent Crime	$96,861,901	$124

The Human Cost of Violent Crime in Polk County, FL

Much of what violent crime costs never reaches a bill. Pain, trauma, and lost quality of life for victims and their families typically outweigh the medical and legal totals above. Research-based methods put a figure on that harm so it can be compared across places. By those methods, the human cost of violent crime in Polk County totals $342,403,887 ($438 per resident). Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $439,265,789 ($561 per resident). This human toll is what sets violent crime apart from property crime in Polk County, FL, where the loss is mostly replaceable property. All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Violent Crime Maps

Violent crime rates are measured per resident, so places packed with visitors after dark read high even when few people live there. Bars, clubs, event venues, and transit hubs draw the crowds where assaults and robberies cluster. How strongly this shows on the map depends on the commercial base; the west part of the county has more retail establishments. A red block full of bars and venues does not mean the homes around it are dangerous.

Transit stations show the same effect: large moving crowds, few residents, so per-capita violent crime reads high. Before judging a residential street, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total count of incidents, and note what draws crowds nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in Polk County, FL at ISP Reports.

Polk County Violent Crime Breakdown

The table below shows which offenses feed the Violent Crime Grade above, each as crimes per 1,000 Polk County residents in a standard year.

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.640
Robbery	0.2503
Rape	0.3096
Murder	0.0266
Total Violent Crime	2.227 (A)

Individual Polk County Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of violent crime in Polk County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Polk County.

Nearby County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Osceola County, FL	A+	A-	A-
Hardee County, FL	A	C	B+
Hillsborough County, FL	A+	A-	B+
Orange County, FL	A	B+	B+
Highlands County, FL	A+	A-	A+
Pasco County, FL	A+	A+	A+
Lake County, FL	A+	A+	A+
Hernando County, FL	A+	A+	A+
Seminole County, FL	A+	A	A
Sumter County, FL	A+	A-	A+

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Polk County is lower versus other counties of the same size for violent crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Greenville County, SC	D	C	C
Harford County, MD	A-	B-	B-
Hillsborough County, NH	A-	A+	A+
Leon County, FL	A+	A	A
Dakota County, MN	B	A	A
Cuyahoga County, OH	D	D+	D+
Bucks County, PA	A+	A+	A+
Hidalgo County, TX	D	D	D
Brown County, WI	B-	B+	B+
Frederick County, MD	B-	B+	B+

Considering only the violent crime rate, Polk County is as safe as the Florida state average and safer than the national average.

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