Rensselaer is a city of 20,500 in Rensselaer County, next to Albany · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Rensselaer?
Rensselaer earns an A- for property crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 53% of Americans live. Theft makes up 60% 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 838 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
53% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Rensselaer as a whole, and 47% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Rensselaer scores 838.
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 Rensselaer, NY at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Rensselaer, 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
What stands out about property crime in Rensselaer
Vandalism stands out among cities graded A for property crime. For the typical resident of a US city graded A for property crime, the figure is 2.9 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents; Rensselaer has 5.3.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Rensselaer
Every part of Rensselaer where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Rensselaer run from A+ to B-.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Property crime rates and types in Rensselaer
CrimeGrade™ estimates Rensselaer has about 19 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 19% less than the US as a whole and 15% less than New York.
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 Rensselaer, about 60% 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 Rensselaer and nearby cities
Of the 8 cities closest to Rensselaer, 6 have less property crime. West Sand Lake and East Greenbush have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Rensselaer. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Rensselaer has more property crime than 50% of them.
Empty homes, parking lots and walkability in Rensselaer
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, one sets Rensselaer apart: it has 5 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places like that tend to report more theft; here theft sits near the national middle.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.9.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 84% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 78% 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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 57% of US city residents
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Rensselaer: D+ (23 of 100).5 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 71% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.50 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 62% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.9.2 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 61% of US city residents
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 Rensselaer
Property crime costs Rensselaer about $2.5 million a year, or $124 per resident and about $282 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
$320,000
$16
Theft
$1.2 million
$59
Vehicle theft
$230,000
$11
Arson
$7,400
under $1
Vandalism
$770,000
$38
Total
$2.5 million
$124
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.
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.
