Winter Haven, FL crime & safety
Winter Haven's reported crime rate is above Florida's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 168 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
Crime reported to police, trends and how Winter Haven compares with the towns next door, from FBI data.
Winter Haven’s Safety Grade: C
Winter Haven reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 66% report less.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over the FBI’s latest 3 years (2023–2025). Violent crime counts four times as much because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind our Safest towns in FL ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town and city with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years (6,620 places) is lined up by score: A+ top 5%A next 10%A- next 10%B B+ to B−, next 30%C C+ to C−, next 30%D D and D−, bottom 15%
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone.
- Trend compares 2025 with 2023 and only says “improving” or “rising” when the change is bigger than normal year-to-year swings.
- Not graded: towns under 1,000 people, and towns missing any of the 3 years.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. Towns with a campus, highway or big shopping center count incidents involving visitors. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
Winter Haven at a glance
Reported crime per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025
Show as a table
| Year | Winter Haven property | Florida property | Winter Haven violent | Florida violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16.4 | 14.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| 2023 | 16.9 | 13.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| 2024 | 15.5 | 12.6 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
| 2025 | 14.7 | 10.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
2025, by type
Offenses reported to police, not convictions.
Local public safety
Winter Haven and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Haven | C | 2.7 | 14.7 | 2025 |
| Lake Alfred | B+ | 0.8 | 9.7 | 2025 |
| Lake Wales | C | 3.2 | 11.9 | 2025 |
| Auburndale | C | 1.4 | 16.4 | 2025 |
No town figures in the FBI's data: Cypress Gardens, Inwood, Alturas, Dundee, Jan Phyl Village, Eagle Lake.
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 62,600, 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 60% of U.S. communities. 29 flood insurance claims paid since 1979.
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, 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.