Miami

Is Miami safe?

Mostly yes for visitors, if you take care on the roads and in hurricane season. The Miami Police Department recorded 27 homicides in 2025, the same as in 2024 and among the lowest totals in decades. With about 490,000 residents, that is roughly 5.5 per 100,000, similar to Los Angeles and above New York.

Most violence is concentrated in a few neighbourhoods north and west of downtown. The risks a visitor is more likely to meet are a bag or phone stolen on the beach, an inflated bill on Ocean Drive, a crash on a fast road, or a storm. We score Miami 65.

Miami and Miami Beach are different cities

South Beach, where many visitors stay, is in the separate city of Miami Beach with its own police force. The figures above cover the City of Miami: downtown, Brickell, Wynwood, Little Havana, Coconut Grove and Little Haiti.

In Miami Beach, the main problems are nightlife-related: fights, theft in clubs, drink spiking and large crowds. Spring break in March has been hard enough to manage that the city has brought in curfews, bag checks and parking restrictions in past years. If you want a quieter stay, Mid-Beach and North Beach are calmer than the Ocean Drive strip.

Crime in the 2025 numbers

According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association's year-end survey, the City of Miami recorded 27 homicides, 131 rapes, 388 robberies and 1,349 aggravated assaults in 2025. Robberies were down 16% and aggravated assaults 23% on 2024. Robbery is lower per head than in San Francisco or Los Angeles.

For visitors, the common crimes are theft and overcharging:

• Beaches: bags and phones left on the sand while you swim. Bring only what you need, and use a waterproof pouch.
• Ocean Drive restaurants: some add an automatic service charge, sometimes 18% or more, and sell giant cocktails at very high prices. Check the menu and the bill.
• Cars: break-ins at beach car parks and outside hotels. Leave nothing visible.
• Clubs: watch your drink, and use a ride app to get home.

Where it is safe at night

Brickell, the Design District, Wynwood (busy with bars and galleries, though the edges are rougher), Coconut Grove and Coral Gables are good bases with plenty of people out after dark. In Miami Beach, the stretch from South Pointe to Lincoln Road is crowded most nights. Overtown, Liberty City and much of Little Haiti see more shootings and have little for visitors after dark.

The roads are the bigger risk

Miami-Dade's roads are far more dangerous than its crime figures suggest. Florida Department of Health records show about 340 county residents died in road crashes in 2021, roughly 12 per 100,000, including 83 pedestrians. That is several times the rate in San Francisco.

Wide multi-lane roads, long distances between crossings, heavy traffic and aggressive driving all play a part. Brickell's busy streets are known for reckless driving. Cross at signals, watch for turning cars, and be extra careful at night when drivers may be drunk.

Hurricanes, flooding and heat

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, peaking from August to October. Miami has been hit hard before, notably by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and storm surge could flood much of Miami Beach and the coastal parts of the city. Forecasts give days of warning. Follow the National Hurricane Center and Miami-Dade emergency alerts, and leave at once if your evacuation zone is called.

Low-lying streets in Miami Beach and Brickell also flood at king tides in autumn and in heavy summer downpours. Heat and humidity are intense from June to September. Air is relatively clean: the EPA monitor in Allapattah averaged 8.0 µg/m³ of fine particlesPM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary over 2023 to 2025. Hospitals are very good but expensive, so carry travel insurance.

How to stay safe

• Swim near lifeguard towers and check the flags for rip currents.
• Read menu prices and check for service charges on Ocean Drive.
• Use ride apps at night rather than walking between neighbourhoods.
• In hurricane season, buy insurance that covers storm disruption and know your hotel's evacuation zone.

Our United States page covers healthcare costs and entry rules for the whole country.

How we scored it

Health (82) and violent crime (72) are the strongest factors: murders are near record lows and the air is clean. Traffic (45) and natural hazards (50) are the weakest, reflecting dangerous roads and hurricane exposure. Theft and nightlife risks keep petty crime at 64.