Is Grand Junction Safe

By: Matt Majewski, Housing Co-editor

When moving to a new place, the most important aspect to focus on is the safety of the city. Grand Junction is a beautiful city, with so many diverse activities to engage in. However, according to Crime Grade, in Grand Junction, there is one crime committed almost every three hours. 

In Grand Junction, perhaps the most prevalent feature is the city’s college, Colorado Mesa University. At the school, over 10,000 students are currently enrolled, inflating the city’s population, and crime records.

“Having a school [as big as Colorado Mesa University] increases the activity in the city. Most of the reports we deal with around that area are mostly associated with property offenses,” 

Grand Junction could also be considered a touristy area. Many people will visit Grand Junction for a short time, either for school, or to explore the natural land around Grand Junction for a few days. This is another factor why the crime stats could be inflated. 

In total, these were the crimes committed in Grand Junction in 2022.

While the chart above makes it look like Grand Junction is a hotspot for property theft, it does not mean it isn’t an entirely dangerous city to live in.

“Most of our property crimes in Grand Junction occur along the I-70 business loop. Business and stores almost contain all of the property theft. We definitely get more reports of that kinda stuff along stores, and rarely in neighborhoods.

While the commercial areas in Grand Junction can be considered somewhat dangerous, the residential parts of the city can be deemed as safe. 

The map above shows the regions of property theft in Grand Junction, and the surrounding area. The green regions shows the green to be above the national average in property theft, orange shows average, and the red shoes below average, according to Crime Grade.

The Redlands, which is located just a bit outside of downtown Grand Junction, grades well in terms of crime rate. According to multiple crime databases, the community rarely sees any criminal activity.  Even the municipality, Fruita, which is right next to Grand Junction graded well in crime statistics.

“Surrounding areas beside the business side of Grand Junction are safe places. I believe it is a perfect place to raise a family,”

In terms of violent crimes, Grand Junction is in the middle in terms of overall safety. According to Colorado Crime Statistics there was only one reported murder in Grand Junction in 2022. Comparing that number to other cities on the front rage of Colorado, Grand Junction grades better.

In total, there were 184 violent crimes committed in Mesa County in 2022. In addition, another positive statistic is that nearly 60% of the violent cases were cleared. In Colorado, the state average is only 38%.

While some of the crime statistics can be alarming to someone looking to move to Grand Junction, knowing the proper areas can make it easier to maintain safety from crime.