Fort Wayne, IN vs South Bend, IN: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in Fort Wayne and South Bend, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
Fort Wayne is the safer city
Fort Wayne scores 72/100 (grade C) versus 70/100 (grade C) for South Bend — a 2-point gap. South Bend's violent-crime rate is 1.6× Fort Wayne. Across the 8 offense categories, Fort Wayne has the lower rate in 3.
Fort Wayne, IN
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 275,451
- Violent / 100k
- 275
- Property / 100k
- 1,866
- In Indiana
- #9 of 20
South Bend, IN
Crime Index
- Population
- 103,804
- Violent / 100k
- 453
- Property / 100k
- 1,038
- In Indiana
- #11 of 20
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | Fort Wayne | South Bend | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 72C | 70C | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 275 | 453 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 1,866 | 1,038 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 11.6 | 0 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 2,141 | 1,490 | 1,802 |
Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.
By offense
Rate per 100,000 residents — the lower (safer) city is highlighted.
| Offense | Fort Wayne | South Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 11.6 | 0 |
| Rape | 49 | 27 |
| Robbery | 50.1 | 33.7 |
| Aggravated assault | 164 | 392 |
| Burglary | 179 | 117 |
| Larceny-theft | 1,502 | 725 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 170 | 180 |
| Arson | 14.9 | 15.4 |
Crime trends
Fort Wayne
South Bend
Frequently asked questions
Is Fort Wayne or South Bend safer?
Which has more violent crime, Fort Wayne or South Bend?
What are the odds of violent crime in Fort Wayne vs South Bend?
No area has zero risk
A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →
Protecting yourself in Fort Wayne & South Bend
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