Maryland's 20 Safest Towns: 2018 Rankings

A new ranking of crime rates from the National Council for Home Safety and Security shows that the safest cities in Maryland range from the Baltimore metropolitan area to the Eastern Shore to towns in between. Maryland crime statistics are a mixed bag: the state average — likely due to the high violent crime rate of Baltimore — is among the nation’s worst. Safe and family friendly communities that made the list range from Bowie to Annapolis to Bel Air.

In spite of its violent crime levels, the ranking placed Baltimore at 19th out of the 20 Maryland cities listed, with a rate of more than 17 violent crimes and nearly 48 property crimes per 1,000 people.

To identify the safest cities in Maryland, the website reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with population data and internal research. Any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI or towns with populations under 10,000 were eliminated from consideration.

The remaining cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 1,000 people. These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 1.5 of the total (due to their severity) than property crimes.

According to the rankings, Ocean Pines was rated No. 1 for safety, with 1.56 violent crimes reported in 2017. Rounding out the top five are Bowie (0.94 violent crimes per 1,000 people), New Carrollton (4.26), Aberdeen (5.03), and Havre de Grace (2.72).

According to the rankings, these are the 20 safest cities in Maryland:

1. Ocean Pines
2. Bowie
3. New Carrollton
4. Aberdeen
5. Havre de Grace
6. Takoma Park
7. Frederick
8. Bel Air
9. Easton
10. Annapolis
11. Greenbelt
12. Hagerstown
13. Westminster
14. Laurel
15. Hyattsville
16. Salisbury
17. Cambridge
18. Cumberland
19. Baltimore
20. Elkton

Find the full rankings and crime rates here.

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