Evansville Residents Say They Feel Safer In 2026

According to Evansville’s 2026 Community Survey, the overall sense of safety among city residents has climbed nearly six percentage points over the last survey in 2024.

How Residents Feel About Safety By The Numbers

Of the 452 people who responded, 83% said they feel very or somewhat safe in their neighborhood during the day, and 57.2% said the same at night. Citywide, 61.1% feel safe in Evansville overall, up from 55.1% two years ago. (Worth noting: response numbers were down from 861 in 2024, so these results reflect those who chose to weigh in.)

What Residents Think Of EPD Officers

Residents also gave Evansville Police Department officers some solid marks. About 72% feel safe around EPD officers, and 78% would feel comfortable walking up to one for help. Meanwhile, 61.7% believe officers act in the community's best interest, and 56.7% are satisfied with their overall experience with EPD.

So what's bugging folks? Top neighborhood concerns were traffic and speeding (40.4%), drugs (31.7%), more police presence (26.8%), burglaries and thefts (23.4%), and gun violence and homicide (21.1%). Also, 62% said they never go to neighborhood association meetings, which is a spot where the city hopes to see more involvement.

Safer Evansville Town Hall Series

Now you can help shape what happens next. The city is hosting Safer Evansville, a two-part town hall series. Both events are free, open to the public, and will feed into a Community Public Safety Roadmap.

Understanding Crime & Our Response
Wednesday, October 14, 5:30–7 p.m.
Dream Center, 1516 N. Main St.
Topics include crime trends, gun violence, juvenile crime and the justice system.

Safer Neighborhoods: Prevention, Partnership & Trust
Thursday, October 29, 5:30–7 p.m.
Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Governor St.
Topics include prevention, root causes, enforcement and accountability.