Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0Per resident, Fayetteville records more crime than 86% of U.S. towns
On crimes reported by Fayetteville’s police in 2023–2025, it grades D for safety: #72 of 105 graded towns in Arkansas, and #178 of 325 U.S. cities over 100,000. What’s more, each of the 5 towns on its borders with figures records less crime per resident. The rate the grade counts dropped 36% from 2023 to 2025. Out of every 1,000 residents, 4.3 violent crimes and 24.9 incidents of property crime are reported annually, against 7.0 and 24.7 in the rest of Arkansas.
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. “Rest of AR” is every other Arkansas city and town in the FBI’s tables; the U.S. figure is the FBI’s national estimate as published, averaged over the three years. The FBI publishes no national homicide or robbery rate in our data, so those compare with all U.S. cities and towns in its tables.
What stands out about safety in Fayetteville
5 of the 5 graded towns next door report less crime
Of the 5 Arkansas towns on Fayetteville’s borders, 5 have a Safety Grade: Farmington (B+), Greenland (B−), Elkins (C+), Johnson (C), Springdale (C−). Neighbors ↓
Among Arkansas towns, closer to the middle
Arkansas’ cities and towns report more crime than most states’, so Fayetteville’s place among its own towns differs from its national one: it reports less crime than 31% of the 105 Arkansas towns we grade, against 14% nationally. Safety Grade ↓
Homicides: below U.S. cities overall
Fayetteville’s police reported 2 homicides to the FBI in 2025. Over 2023–2025 that is 4.8 per 100,000 residents a year, below the rest of Arkansas (9.4) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (5.7). Violent crime ↓
Robberies: below the rest of Arkansas
27.0 robberies per 100,000 residents a year over 2023–2025 (29 reported in 2025), below the rest of Arkansas (53.8) and below all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables (79.4). Violent crime ↓
Against other big cities
Among the 325 U.S. cities over 100,000 we grade, Fayetteville reports less crime per resident than 45% (#178). Places like it ↓
A college town
Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas, with 28,901 students taking classes on campus (federal college data), and 21% of residents are enrolled in college (Census). Students who live in town count as residents, so they are part of the per-resident rate. How to read it ↓
Reported crime is falling
Crime reported per resident fell from 2023 to 2025 by more than ordinary year-to-year swings, on the grade’s own score. Trend ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What’s behind Fayetteville’s grade
Property crimes plus four times violent crimes reported to the FBI per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve. Both violent and property crime are higher than in most U.S. towns; violent crime is the closer of the two to typical.
Reported crime per resident, 2023 to 2025
Show as a table
| Year | Fayetteville property | Rest of Arkansas property | Fayetteville violent | Rest of Arkansas violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 40.3 | 30.8 | 5.0 | 8.0 |
| 2023 | 32.2 | 28.7 | 4.2 | 7.7 |
| 2024 | 23.7 | 24.8 | 4.2 | 7.0 |
| 2025 | 18.9 | 20.6 | 4.4 | 6.3 |
Crimes per 1,000 residents
Reported crime per resident fell from 2023 to 2025, by more than ordinary year-to-year swings. Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against the rest of Arkansas.
Homicides and robberies
Show as a table
| Year | Fayetteville | Rest of Arkansas | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2.1 | 14.1 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | 4.9 | 11.6 | 6.8 |
| 2024 | 7.7 | 8.9 | 5.7 |
| 2025 | 1.9 | 7.8 | 4.6 |
Homicides per 100,000 residents
Show as a table
| Year | Fayetteville | Rest of Arkansas | U.S. cities (FBI tables) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 41.5 | 60.0 | 95.5 |
| 2023 | 26.6 | 58.2 | 90.6 |
| 2024 | 26.9 | 57.7 | 81.9 |
| 2025 | 27.5 | 45.6 | 66.0 |
Robberies per 100,000 residents
Fayetteville’s police reported 2 homicides, 29 robberies and 468 violent crimes in all to the FBI in 2025. By year, against the rest of Arkansas and all U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables.
Crime in Fayetteville per 1,000 residents
Violent crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Property crime per 1,000 residents, 2025
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
And about 4 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
2,464 crimes reported in 2025
2025 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
468 violent and 1,996 property, as reported to the FBI by Fayetteville’s police.
42 people died in crashes on Fayetteville’s roads in 2019–2023
Fayetteville had 39 fatal crashes in five years, in which 42 people died; 12 were pedestrians and 2 were cyclists. 7 died in crashes on an Interstate.
That is 8.5 deaths per 100,000 residents a year, about the same as the median for Arkansas towns of 25,000–100,000 people (9.8, 18 towns).
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
Fayetteville and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | D | 4.3 | 24.9 |
| Farmington | B+ | 2.0 | 3.9 |
| Johnson | C | 2.9 | 16.5 |
| Greenland | B− | 3.3 | 4.4 |
| Springdale | C− | 5.2 | 19.7 |
| Elkins | C+ | 3.7 | 7.2 |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Arkansas towns of a similar size
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | D | 4.3 | 24.9 |
| Rogers | C | 3.2 | 13.1 |
| Conway | C− | 5.2 | 21.2 |
| Jonesboro | D | 6.4 | 29.1 |
| Fort Smith | D− | 8.8 | 37.1 |
| North Little Rock | D− | 11.3 | 41.4 |
The five graded Arkansas towns closest to Fayetteville’s population (106,623), by grade.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- One number for all of Fayetteville. A citywide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of the city to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Fayetteville’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (105,335 in 2025); our figure for Fayetteville is 106,623 (2025 Census estimate).
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Fayetteville
Is Fayetteville, AR safe?
On crimes reported to the FBI in 2023–2025, Fayetteville reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, a D Safety Grade and #72 of 105 in Arkansas. Its police reported 4.3 violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year, against 7.0 in the rest of Arkansas and the FBI’s national estimate of 3.6.
What is the crime rate in Fayetteville?
4.3 violent and 24.9 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025, as reported to the FBI. The rest of Arkansas reports 7.0 and 24.7; the FBI’s national estimate is 3.6 and 17.6.
How many homicides were there in Fayetteville in 2025?
Fayetteville’s police reported 2 homicides to the FBI for 2025, 1.9 per 100,000 residents. Across U.S. cities and towns in the FBI’s tables the 2025 figure was 4.6.
Is Fayetteville safer than Farmington?
Farmington reports less crime per resident than Fayetteville: Farmington grades B+ for safety and Fayetteville D. Farmington’s police reported 2.0 violent and 3.9 property crimes per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Who polices Fayetteville?
Fayetteville’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Fayetteville”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in Fayetteville.
Crime: 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. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.