Fort Walton Beach, FL crime & safety
Fort Walton Beach's reported crime rate is above Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 95 violent crimes were reported in 2023.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Fort Walton Beach compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
Not graded yet
A grade needs all of the FBI's latest years (2023–2025). Fort Walton Beach's police department reported only 2023, so we don't grade it yet. The figures below are still real.
Fort Walton Beach at a glance
2023, by type
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Local public safety
Fort Walton Beach and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Walton Beach | — | 4.5 | 16.4 | 2023 |
No town figures in the FBI's data: Wright, Mary Esther, Ocean City, Hurlburt Field, Cinco Bayou.
What this data can and can't tell you
- It's reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- Small numbers swing. In a town of about 21,000, a handful of incidents moves the rate noticeably from year to year. The trend matters more than any one year.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don't live there, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn't report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Mostly hurricanes. Expected storm and flood damage here is higher than in 84% of U.S. communities. 545 flood insurance claims paid since 1978.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2023, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. This isn't an official statement of public safety — in an emergency, call 911.
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