Rio Grande is an unincorporated community of 5,040 in Cape May County, about 35 miles southwest of downtown Atlantic City · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Rio Grande?
Rio Grande earns an A- for property crime, safer than the neighborhoods where 54% of Americans live. Theft makes up 81% 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 843 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
54% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Rio Grande as a whole, and 46% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Rio Grande scores 843.
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 Rio Grande, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Rio Grande, 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 Rio Grande
Thefts run high for a city with an A for property crime. Rio Grande has 30.1 thefts a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a US city graded A for property crime, the figure is 8.1.
Property crime rates and types in Rio Grande
CrimeGrade™ estimates Rio Grande has about 37 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 56% more than the US as a whole and about double the rate for New Jersey.
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 Rio Grande, about 81% of the total, followed by burglary and vandalism.
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 Rio Grande and nearby cities
Rio Grande has more property crime than 6 of its 7 nearest cities. Cape May and North Cape May have the least property crime nearby.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Rio Grande. 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, Rio Grande has more property crime than 93% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Rio Grande apart: it has 31.7 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 5.6 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.31.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.5.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 98% 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. 80% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (18 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 50% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 93% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 81% of US city residents
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.71% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 77% 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 Rio Grande
Property crime costs Rio Grande about $1.1 million a year, or $226 per resident and about $558 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
$120,000
$25
Theft
$780,000
$155
Vehicle theft
$100,000
$21
Arson
$37,000
$7
Vandalism
$94,000
$19
Total
$1.1 million
$226
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.
