Is Kendall Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Kendall, Florida, isn’t a city or town or a municipality.

It’s a place and a pretty cool one at that.

As a suburb of Miami, on the south side of the metro area, Kendall is known as a shopping destination and a popular residential area.

This is where O.J. Simpson raised his teenagers, well, before going to prison.

Ask any South Florida local about Kendall and they’ll say two words — traffic and shopping.

The Dadeland Mall is what brings people this far south in the massive metro area, and there’s traffic to prove it.

There’s no beachfront in this Florida place, but in just 30 minutes you can be on the tip of Key Biscayne looking at the lighthouse and the waves coming in.

This place took a direct hit from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and had to rebuild, which it did quite nicely.

Warnings & Dangers in Kendall

OVERALL RISK: LOW

The Kendall area gets law enforcement from Miami-Dade Police with a substation located there. Since there's no specific crime date for Kendall proper (heck, even the boundaries of the place get a little vague), we are going to use information from the police annual report and a real-time crime mapping option that shows the past six months of crimes. Overall, there's a low rate here unless you suffer from road rage or shopping addiction.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW

Miami has a great public transportation system and the Metro Bus and Metro Rail go through Kendall at various points. There is no in-town shuttle, so you'll use a taxi or rideshare if you don't have a car. All of these are low-risk options, but be careful at any public transportation stops around I-95 as that's a higher crime area.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW

We don't have specific statistics by year for this in Kendall. The numbers I look at today for the past six months will be different than what you will see when you look as you plan your trip. The great news is, you can search the map as hyper-local as you want and by certain crimes. We feel there's a low risk here since it's a middle to upper-class community with a lot of residential and shopping destinations.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM

This area is prone to flooding, whether it's a heavy rainstorm or a hurricane. Hurricane Andrew did a number on this city in 1992 and brought winds up to nearly 130 miles per hour. Intense thunderstorms are common during the summer. There's a medium risk with special attention paid during the busy hurricane months of August and September.

MUGGING RISK: LOW

There's a low risk here. At the time I researched this in early 2022, I saw a series of strong-armed robberies just south of Kendall, but especially in the residential neighborhoods, the crime reports are low. While you should always use caution when spending time in large shopping destinations, there's nothing about Kendall that makes it a bigger risk than any other place of its size and amenities.

TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM

There's a medium risk across the Miami area since it's so populated with so many attractions and ports that support the economy.

SCAMS RISK: LOW

Scams here target the local residents, and the scammers are more like to go after tourists in South Beach, about 30 minutes away. There's a low risk.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Women have a low risk in a suburban area like this with shopping and spa options catering to their every whim. Just keep your purse secure and don't go into strange neighborhoods at night.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

There is no big concern in Kendall about tap water and it meets or exceeds all standards. The water comes from the Miami-Dade utilities, and if there is a contamination of any kind, the government is quick to let people know.

Safest Places to Visit in Kendall

Dadeland Mall is the place to be for shoppers and foodies.

There are nearly 200 stories across 1.4 million square feet.

The outside is lined with some of the most popular restaurants.

There’s another mall about five miles south called The Falls with similar amenities and just as much fun, even if not quite as big.

Kendall has a pole position to the Miami Zoo, just six miles south.

Ok, I just got distracted for 15 minutes looking at all the awesome animals right on the zoo’s website.

You can interact with and feed some of the animals or spring for a VIP tour of the zoo.

There are community parks throughout Kendall, like Indian Hammock Park, where you can explore 32 acres of nature preserve, try your hand at disc golf, or watch some of the amazing moves at the state-of-the-art skate park modeled after some of the best in the country.

This is a golf country in South Florida and Kendall is home to two courses, Killian Greens Golf Club and Briar Bay Golf Course.

Places to Avoid in Kendall

There isn’t a part of Kendall I’d tell you to avoid.

The popular places are where the most crimes happen.

The Dadeland Mall, for example, is a shopping center with a whole shopping neighborhood around it.

So there are clusters of car breaking, thefts, and robbers all around that area.

Aside from the community parks and outside of the shopping areas, this city is all residential and neighborhood needs, like grocery stores and schools.

Many neighborhoods here are gated, which helps reduce crime.

In Florida, you’re generally going to see more crime around the interstate or highway corridors, like the turnpike, an expressway, or I-95.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Kendall

So... How Safe Is Kendall Really?

I searched a six-month span from late 2021 until early 2022 within two miles of Dadeland Mall.

There were 817 incidents including theft, vandalism, vehicle break-ins, assault, fraud, robbery, and motor vehicle theft.

The majority of the crimes were theft and centered around the shopping mall and supplemental shopping areas.

There were large residential areas with no reports of crime.

The community is safe. It’s designed as a bedroom community to supplement the expanding population of Miami.

The average income here is $73.000 and there’s a 9% poverty rate.

This is the kind of place you want to be in, not the kind you want to avoid.

This is a great place for a busy traveler to safely rest their head at night and there are a plethora of hotel options in the area.

How Does Kendall Compare?

Useful Information

Visas

Once your Visa clears customs at the airport or port of entry, you don't need any additional identification to get to Kendall.

Currency

You'll use the U.S. Dollar currency here and across the Miami area. Credit cards are widely accepted and safer than using cash.

Weather

The weather is warm to hot as the year goes on. The year starts in the mid-70s for highs and drops into the upper-50s for lows. A jacket would be advisable, but maybe not needed. Gradually, the temperatures go up a few degrees each month until topping out in the 90s for highs during July and August with lows in the mid-70s. This is a very humid area too, so pack clothes you don't mind getting very sweaty.

Airports

The Miami International Airport is 15 miles, or about 20 minutes, away. That's the closest and biggest option. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is 52 miles away, or about an hour north.

Travel Insurance

Given the destruction this area has seen by hurricanes, don't take chances. Get travel insurance for your trip to Kendall, Florida.

Kendall Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Average High/Low Temperature

Florida - Safety by City