St Clair Shores, MI vs Sterling Heights, MI: Crime Rate Comparison (2025)
A side-by-side look at reported crime in St Clair Shores and Sterling Heights, on the FBI-based Crime Index (0–100, higher = safer) for 2025.
St Clair Shores is the safer city
St Clair Shores scores 82/100 (grade B) versus 80/100 (grade B) for Sterling Heights — a 2-point gap. Sterling Heights's violent-crime rate is in line with St Clair Shores. Across the 8 offense categories, St Clair Shores has the lower rate in 4.
St Clair Shores, MI
SaferCrime Index
- Population
- 57,908
- Violent / 100k
- 231
- Property / 100k
- 810
- In Michigan
- #7 of 24
Sterling Heights, MI
Crime Index
- Population
- 134,402
- Violent / 100k
- 220
- Property / 100k
- 1,156
- In Michigan
- #9 of 24
Crime rates head-to-head
| Metric | St Clair Shores | Sterling Heights | US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Index (higher = safer) | 82B | 80B | 73C |
| Violent crime /100k | 231 | 220 | 315 |
| Property crime /100k | 810 | 1,156 | 1,487 |
| Homicide /100k | 1.7 | 0.7 | 4.1 |
| Total reported /100k | 1,041 | 1,377 | 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 | St Clair Shores | Sterling Heights |
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 1.7 | 0.7 |
| Rape | 24.2 | 35 |
| Robbery | 17.3 | 8.2 |
| Aggravated assault | 188 | 176 |
| Burglary | 79.4 | 64.7 |
| Larceny-theft | 611 | 930 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 117 | 156 |
| Arson | 1.7 | 5.2 |
Crime trends
St Clair Shores
Sterling Heights
Frequently asked questions
Is St Clair Shores or Sterling Heights safer?
Which has more violent crime, St Clair Shores or Sterling Heights?
What are the odds of violent crime in St Clair Shores vs Sterling Heights?
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 St Clair Shores & Sterling Heights
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