St. Peter's Catholic Church · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Crime reported in Jefferson, SD
Jefferson’s police reported to the FBI for 2024 but not 2023 or 2025, so there is no Safety Grade: the grade needs all three years, 2023–2025.
3 crimes reported in 2024
In a town this small, a few incidents move the numbers a lot, so we show counts rather than rates.
3 crimes reported in 2024
0 violent and 3 property, as reported to the FBI by Jefferson’s police.
2024 offenses reported
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting. The last row is counted outside the property total.
The nearest South Dakota towns with a Safety Grade
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Sioux City | C+ | 6 mi | 2.2 | 16.3 |
| Elk Point | A− | 8 mi | 1.0 | 4.8 |
| Vermillion | B− | 22 mi | 1.9 | 12.7 |
| Beresford | B− | 35 mi | 1.8 | 10.4 |
| Yankton | C | 46 mi | 2.7 | 19.4 |
| Canton | B− | 48 mi | 2.2 | 10.5 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Jefferson. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Jefferson.
No one died in a crash on Jefferson’s roads in 2019–2023
That is about what is typical for South Dakota towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (0.0 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of Jefferson’s size would see about 0 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so Jefferson’s own rate (0.0) is context, not a ranking.
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.
Jefferson and its neighbors
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
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 Jefferson. A town-wide rate doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Incidents involving people who work, shop or visit are counted against Jefferson’s residents, which raises the per-resident rate.
- Whose population. Rates use the FBI’s population for the department (440 in 2024); our figure for Jefferson is 448 (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 Jefferson
Is Jefferson, SD safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Jefferson. Jefferson’s police reported to the FBI for 2024 but not 2023 or 2025, so there is no Safety Grade: the grade needs all three years, 2023–2025. The nearest South Dakota towns with a grade are North Sioux City (C+, 6 mi), Elk Point (A−, 8 mi), Vermillion (B−, 22 mi).
Who polices Jefferson?
Jefferson’s own police department, which reports to the FBI as “Jefferson”. Its figures are the ones on this page.
Heads-up board
Neighbors looking out for each other in Jefferson.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2024, 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.