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Crime Rate in Lakeland, FL (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Lakeland, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

70/100
CModerate risk

Crime Index

Population: 127,935
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#15 most dangerous of 39 cities in Florida
100% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Lakeland safe?

For 2025, Lakeland scores 70/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade C (moderate risk), which means it is close to the typical US city for reported crime. Its violent-crime rate of 368 per 100k is +17% vs the US average, and rape stands out most: 71 reported in 2025, 1.6× the national rate. It ranks #15 most dangerous of 39 cities in Florida.

Violent crime
368/100k
+17% vs US avg
1.8× FL avg
Property crime
1,536/100k
in line with US avg
1.7× FL avg
Homicide
3.9/100k
in line with US avg
1.6× FL avg
Total reported
1,904/100k
+6% vs US avg
1.7× FL avg
45%

Safer than 45% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 272

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 65

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Lakeland

3,0061,5030202120222023202420252.61,904
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
-5% US
3.9
5 total
Rape
1.6× US
55.5
71 total
Robbery
-2% US
46.9
60 total
Aggravated assault
+15% US
262
335 total

Property crime

Burglary
+41% US
263
336 total
Larceny-theft
+16% US
1,270
1,625 total
Motor vehicle theft
0.0× US
0.8
1 total
Arson
0.2× US
2.3
3 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

3.91per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

-5% lower than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Lakeland compares

Lakeland against the Florida and US averages for 2025.

MetricLakelandFloridaUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)70C83B73C
Violent crime /100k368207315
Property crime /100k1,5368971,487
Homicide /100k3.92.54.1
Total reported /100k1,9041,1041,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

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Security guides for Lakeland

Florida Security Guard & Company License: Requirements & How to Verify (2026)

Hiring security in Florida? Here's who regulates it, what a company and its guards must be licensed to hold, how armed guards are permitted, and how to verify a license yourself in minutes.

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How Much Does a Security Guard Cost? (2026 US Pricing Guide)

Unarmed guards typically run $20–$35 an hour and armed guards $35–$75 — but the number on your quote is built from local wages, insurance, and coverage hours, and it varies by 50% across states. Here's how security pricing actually works in 2026, state by state, and how to avoid overpaying.

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How to Hire a Security Guard Company: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Hiring security is easy to get wrong — the cheapest bid is often the riskiest. This step-by-step guide walks you through vetting a licensed company the right way, from license checks and state-by-state training standards to the questions that separate pros from pretenders.

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How to Verify a Security Company's License (State-by-State, 2026)

There is no federal security license in the US — every state runs its own registry, and a legitimate company must be in it. Here's exactly how to check, with a state-by-state table of licensing agencies, credentials, insurance minimums, and official lookups.

Read guide

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 →

Compare Lakeland to other Florida cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Lakeland.

Melbourne73 CPinellas Park71 CFort Myers70 CSarasota70 CBradenton69 CMiami Gardens69 C

Head-to-head comparisons

Lakeland vs Pinellas ParkLakeland vs Fort MyersLakeland vs SarasotaLakeland vs Bradenton

Frequently asked questions

Is Lakeland safe?
Lakeland has a Crime Index of 70 out of 100 (grade C — moderate risk) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #25 of 39 cities in Florida by reported crime. 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.
What does a "C" grade mean?
A "Moderate risk" grade means Lakeland's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 60–74 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Lakeland?
The most frequently reported offense in Lakeland for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 1,625 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Lakeland getting better or worse?
There isn't enough multi-year data to state a reliable trend for Lakeland.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Lakeland?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Lakeland residents face roughly a 1 in 272 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 65 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Lakeland compare to other US cities?
Lakeland is safer than 45% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is 1.8× the Florida average and its property-crime rate is 1.7× the Florida average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
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