The two crime figures pull in opposite directions: violent crime sits 19% below the national average while property crime runs 14% above it, so the exposure that stands out in Fort Wayne is property crime, not violence. The 13.4% year-over-year rise in violent crime in 2024 is why SafeNest classifies the trend as worsening despite the favorable headline rate. Schools split the same way — the 5.0/10 average across 74 rated schools contains high schools at 5.8/10, middle schools at 3.9/10, and Aboite Elementary at 9.7/10, so which schools a house feeds into matters more than the city number. Indiana's 14 federal flood declarations between 1954 and 2025 are state-level context, not a determination about any parcel. Every figure on this page is a city-wide average, and none of them describes the specific street you are buying on.
Crime in Fort Wayne vs. the national average
Fort Wayne reports 308 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 19% below the U.S. average of 381, and 2,224 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (14% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate rose 13.4% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as worsening.
| Fort Wayne | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 308 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 2224 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Fort Wayne can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Indiana — the state SafeNest uses for Fort Wayne's flood context — list 14 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1954 and 2025, most recently "Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding". Indiana has also seen 1 hurricane or tropical-storm declaration, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Fort Wayne address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Fort Wayne
Public schools in Fort Wayne average 5.0/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 74 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 5.8/10 on average, while middle schools average 3.9/10. The highest-scoring is Aboite Elementary School at 9.7/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Fort Wayne: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Fort Wayne address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Check a specific Fort Wayne address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF for $6.99.
Or search any Fort Wayne address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Fort Wayne
Is Fort Wayne, IN safe?
Fort Wayne records 308 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 19% below the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: C, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Fort Wayne?
Fort Wayne reports approximately 308 violent crimes and 2224 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Fort Wayne have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Fort Wayne, federal records show 14 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Indiana, most recently in 2025; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Indiana.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).