Merlin is an unincorporated community of 5,540 in Josephine County, about 8 miles northwest of downtown Grants Pass · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Merlin?
Merlin has less property crime than most US neighborhoods: an A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% of Americans live. Theft makes up 63% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A+, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 932 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Merlin as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Merlin scores 932.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Merlin, OR at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Merlin, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
Property crime rates and types in Merlin
CrimeGrade™ estimates Merlin has about 17 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 28% less than the US as a whole and 47% less than Oregon.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Merlin, about 63% of the total, followed by vandalism and burglary.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Property crime in Merlin and nearby cities
Of the 6 cities closest to Merlin, 4 have less property crime. Wimer and Glendale have the least.
Night lighting, walkability and empty homes in Merlin
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Merlin apart: it has 2% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (1 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and they run low here.
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.2% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (1 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.11 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 96% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.4.5 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 93% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Merlin on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Merlin
Property crime costs Merlin about $580,000 a year, or $105 per resident and about $268 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$45,000
$8
Theft
$310,000
$55
Vehicle theft
$14,000
$2
Arson
$17,000
$3
Vandalism
$200,000
$36
Total
$580,000
$105
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them. Merlin is a good example: many people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks worse than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
