Safest Places to Live in Maryland
Maryland sits above the national average on violent crime, reporting 4.7 incidents per 1,000 residents. The numbers are heavily concentrated in cities like Baltimore, which pull the statewide figures up considerably. But beyond the headlines, Maryland has towns and communities where residents live well and feel genuinely secure. Check out Houzeo's list of the safest places to live in Maryland.
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FAQsRankings: 10 Safest Places in Maryland
Ocean Pines is a planned community on Maryland's Eastern Shore that manages itself with a level of consistency most neighborhoods only aim for. The extensive network of canals and wooded trails provides a natural buffer that reinf...
Personal Safety : 93
Property Safety : 94
Community Safety : 83
Home Prices in Ocean Pines
$434,950
Median Home Rent
$2,250
Sykesville is a small city that takes its character seriously, and the crime record is one of the clearest signs of that. The community's identity is anchored by its beautifully restored Baldwin Station, symbolizing a deep pride i...
Personal Safety : 96
Property Safety : 84
Community Safety : 88
$750,000
Median Home Rent
$2,600
University Park occupies a quiet corner of Prince George's County just outside Washington D.C. The crime rate is well below what most people would expect from a community this close to a major city. The civic association is active...
Personal Safety : 98
Property Safety : 66
Community Safety : 86
$597,000
Median Home Rent
$1,400
Hampstead has added residents over the years without losing its attentive residential character. It is one of the safest areas in Maryland, made up largely of long-term homeowners who pay real attention to what is happening on the...
Personal Safety : 81
Property Safety : 89
Community Safety : 87
$299,000
Median Home Rent
$1,650
Gaithersburg is a larger city that manages its scale better than most, and the crime numbers are evidence of that. The Gaithersburg Police Department runs genuine community policing programs that keep residents actively engaged in...
Personal Safety : 76
Property Safety : 77
Community Safety : 78
$485,000
Median Home Rent
$2,250
Rate Ellicott City
4.0/5
1 Review
Job Market
100%
Commute
100%
Good Schools
100%
Affordability
100%
Public Transit
100%
Future Growth
100%
Ellicott City has a history that makes people want to take care of it, and the residents here clearly do. Howard County Police covers both the beloved historic Main Street corridor and the newer residential developments. This keep...
Personal Safety : 80
Property Safety : 51
Community Safety : 69
$670,000
Median Home Rent
$2,800
Rate Columbia
4.0/5
1 Review
Job Market
100%
Commute
100%
Good Schools
100%
Affordability
100%
Public Transit
100%
Future Growth
100%
Columbia was designed from the start with the idea that how a place is built shapes how people live in it, and decades later that vision still holds. A vast system of interconnected pathways allows residents to traverse thousands ...
Personal Safety : 80
Property Safety : 51
Community Safety : 69
$493,000
Median Home Rent
$2,109
Easton sits at a size that works in its favor, making it one of the safest towns in Maryland. The town serves as a cultural hub for the region, where the preservation of colonial architecture meets a sophisticated modern culinary ...
Personal Safety : 61
Property Safety : 65
Community Safety : 58
$403,200
Median Home Rent
$2,500
Rate Bethesda
5.0/5
1 Review
Bethesda sits at the top of the D.C. metro safety rankings and has the infrastructure to explain why. The Capital Crescent Trail hums with activity, serving as a scenic artery for commuters and weekend cyclists moving through the ...
Personal Safety : 71
Property Safety : 53
Community Safety : 70
$1,222,500
Median Home Rent
$3,174
Bowie does not always come up first in conversations about safe Prince George's County communities, but anyone who looks at the data closely will find it deserves more attention. The Bowie Police Department runs structured communi...
Personal Safety : 67
Property Safety : 41
Community Safety : 67
$500,300
Median Home Rent
$2,950
Top 3 Safest Places to Retire in Maryland
Top 3 Safest Places to Live in Maryland for Families
Top 3 Safest Places to Live in Maryland for Young Adults
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Ranking Methodology
To determine the safest places to live, we applied a structured, data-driven methodology using verified crime and public safety datasets. Our analysis incorporates violent crime rates and property crime rates (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program), local law enforcement staffing levels, community safety investment scores, and resident-reported safety data. Each factor was normalized against the Maryland state average to control for population size and regional differences. The combined metrics were then weighted and aggregated to produce a final Safety Score out of 100, highlighting cities where crime rates are significantly below the state baseline and community safety infrastructure is strongest.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Transparent & data-driven
How we ranked the safest cities
Each city is scored against the national average across three weighted categories, built entirely from FBI NIBRS crime data spanning 18 offense categories. Every metric is converted to a per-capita rate and a common 0–100 scale, so no single offense can dominate — and a city served by a non-reporting agency is never treated as crime-free.
Scoring weights
- Personal Safety50%
Homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping & human trafficking vs. the national rate.
- Property Security30%
Burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson & theft from buildings or vehicles vs. the national rate.
- Community Order20%
Simple assault, sex offenses, stolen property, vandalism, weapon & drug violations — the tiebreaker.
Our data source
Recalculated as each new annual NIBRS reporting year is released · agency-to-city mappings refresh quarterly.
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