State hub · MD

Safest cities in Maryland? Lowest and highest property-crime candidates

Use this hub to compare validated Maryland city candidates by reported selected property-offense rate. It is a cautious city-page index, not a statewide safety ranking or personal-risk score.

Candidate-city rate 31.48 per 1,000 residents across listed cities; not a statewide risk score

Validated cities39Current candidate pages

Candidate population1,339,699Sum of listed city estimates

Selected offenses42,180FBI NIBRS offense records

Highest-rate city candidates

Use the city pages for source notes, trend handling, and offense mix. Small or ambiguous places remain outside automatic publication.

17,364 residents Takoma Park 71.47 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 16,011 residents Elkton 49.84 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 30,133 residents Laurel 48.19 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 24,817 residents Greenbelt 44.16 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 570,053 residents Baltimore 42.49 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 18,718 residents Cumberland 39.59 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents

Lowest-rate city candidates

Searchers often ask for the safest cities in a state. This section answers that intent carefully by showing the lowest reported selected property-offense rates among validated city candidates only.

8,277 residents Taneytown 0.97 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 6,979 residents Frostburg 1.00 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 5,431 residents Manchester 1.29 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 9,010 residents Brunswick 4.66 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 6,307 residents Thurmont 6.34 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents 6,273 residents Hampstead 8.77 selected property offenses per 1,000 residents

Home-security guides

City data pages point into practical guides for renters, no-subscription setups, package areas, cameras, and entry alerts.

Buying guide Door and window alarms for renters Compare simple entry alarms for apartments, rented homes, garages, and windows before moving into heavier systems. Buying guide No-subscription home security starter kit Build a basic home-security setup with local alarms, lighting, locks, and cameras without starting with a monthly plan. Buying guide Package theft camera checklist Check porch visibility, driveway angles, storage, Wi-Fi, and evidence needs before buying a camera for package areas. Buying guide Security camera checklist Evaluate exterior visibility, entry coverage, storage needs, and placement before choosing a camera system. Buying guide Smart lock and entry sensor checklist Start with reliable locks, entry sensors, lighting, and backup access before adding convenience features. Buying guide Basic home-security checklist A balanced setup can cover entries, packages, motion, lighting, and alerts without overbuying.

Maryland city candidates

City	Population	Selected offenses	Rate per 1,000	Trend
Takoma Park	17,364	1,241	71.47	Increasing
Elkton	16,011	798	49.84	Roughly stable
Laurel	30,133	1,452	48.19	Roughly stable
Greenbelt	24,817	1,096	44.16	Decreasing
Baltimore	570,053	24,221	42.49	Increasing
Cumberland	18,718	741	39.59	Increasing
Bladensburg	9,624	332	34.50	Decreasing
Hyattsville	21,050	710	33.73	Decreasing
Cambridge	13,313	414	31.10	Decreasing
Denton	5,037	148	29.38	Roughly stable
Riverdale Park	7,309	212	29.01	Roughly stable
Salisbury	33,748	947	28.06	Roughly stable
Cheverly	6,135	172	28.04	Increasing
Mount Rainier	8,267	216	26.13	Decreasing
Hagerstown	44,107	1,104	25.03	Roughly stable
Bowie	58,017	1,341	23.11	Increasing
Fruitland	5,996	133	22.18	Increasing
Aberdeen	17,650	387	21.93	Roughly stable
Annapolis	40,492	871	21.51	Trend pending
Westminster	20,628	428	20.75	Roughly stable
Bel Air	10,553	211	19.99	Decreasing
Easton	17,343	346	19.95	Increasing
Chestertown	5,668	107	18.88	Trend pending
La Plata	11,365	196	17.25	Increasing
Frederick	89,346	1,493	16.71	Roughly stable
District Heights	5,909	98	16.58	Decreasing
New Carrollton	13,578	223	16.42	Decreasing
Rockville	66,745	1,053	15.78	Increasing
Havre de Grace	15,297	198	12.94	Trend pending
Gaithersburg	71,545	919	12.85	Decreasing
Mount Airy	9,887	107	10.82	Increasing
Berlin	5,332	49	9.19	Trend pending
Glenarden	6,385	57	8.93	Increasing
Hampstead	6,273	55	8.77	Roughly stable
Thurmont	6,307	40	6.34	Increasing
Brunswick	9,010	42	4.66	Decreasing
Manchester	5,431	7	1.29	Roughly stable
Frostburg	6,979	7	1.00	Decreasing
Taneytown	8,277	8	0.97	Trend pending

Important context

These figures are based on reported selected property offenses and Census population context for validated city candidates. Agency reporting boundaries can differ from municipal boundaries, so the methodology page explains why ambiguous or tiny-denominator rows stay out of automatic publication.

Read methodology