Portage County Crime & Safety

Portage County has a total crime rate of 1493.0 per 100,000 residents, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. This includes both violent crimes (132.7 per 100K) and property crimes (1360.3 per 100K).

Portage County has a safety score of 36/100, rated "High Crime". A higher safety score indicates lower crime rates relative to other counties nationwide. It ranks #63 out of 88 counties in Ohio for safety (1 = safest).

Portage County’s 97.6 safety score is almost identical to the Ohio state average of 97.8. Its total crime rate of 1493.0 per 100K slightly exceeds the state average of 1412.3.

Violent crime in Portage is low at 132.7 per 100K, well under the state average of 180.9. Property crime accounts for 1360.3 incidents, representing the primary concern for local residents.

Crime data for Portage County comes from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Local law enforcement agencies submit data on violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) to the FBI. Rates are calculated per 100,000 residents to allow fair comparison between counties of different sizes. The safety score (0-100) is derived from these rates, with higher scores indicating safer counties.

Portage County has a safety score of 36/100, which is below the Ohio average of 51/100. Many counties with above-average crime rates invest in community policing, crime prevention programs, neighborhood watch initiatives, and social services aimed at reducing crime over time.