Two of these numbers pull in opposite directions. Indianapolis sits in the 3rd percentile of the 13,216 jurisdictions SafeNest grades, yet its violent crime rate fell 14.9% in 2024, a serious baseline on a downward trend. Property crime, 71% above the national rate, is the exposure a buyer meets most often. Schools split the same way: a 3.9/10 average across 225 rated schools, high schools at 4.7/10, and the highest-scoring, Merle Sidener Academy, at 10.0/10. The average describes the system, not any one school. That pattern holds across every layer. Indiana's 14 federal flood declarations since 1954 establish that the state floods; they say nothing about whether one parcel sits in a FEMA zone. A buyer weighing Indianapolis is choosing a block, and these city-wide figures cannot identify which block.
Crime in Indianapolis vs. the national average
Indianapolis reports 878 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 130% above the U.S. average of 381, and 3,336 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (71% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 14.9% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving.
| Indianapolis | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 878 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 3336 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis'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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis
Public schools in Indianapolis average 3.9/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 225 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 4.7/10 on average, while middle schools average 3.6/10. The highest-scoring is Merle Sidener Academy 59 - a High Ability School at 10.0/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Indianapolis: 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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Indianapolis
Is Indianapolis, IN safe?
Indianapolis records 878 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 130% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: D, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis reports approximately 878 violent crimes and 3336 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Indianapolis have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Indianapolis, 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).