Arden is a community of 24,300 in Buncombe County, about 9 miles south of downtown Asheville · Updated November 2026
Is Arden, NC safe?
Yes, crime in Arden is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Arden sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 53% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Arden run from A+ to B, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 851 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
53% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Arden as a whole, and 47% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Arden scores 851.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Arden, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Arden, 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 in Arden
Burglary stands out among A-graded cities. For the typical resident of an A-graded US city, the figure is 1.2 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; Arden has 2.8.
Car thefts are uncommon. Arden has car thefts at about half the US rate: 1.4 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Arden
Every part of Arden where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Arden run from A+ to B; 64% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within Arden, the southwest side has the least crime and the south side the most.
Crime rates and types in Arden
CrimeGrade™ estimates Arden has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% less than the US as a whole and 28% less than North Carolina.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Theft is the most common crime in Arden, about 35% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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.
How Arden compares with nearby cities
Arden has more crime than 7 of its 8 nearest cities. Horse Shoe and Hoopers Creek have the least crime nearby.
Empty homes, walkability and night lighting in Arden
Two things set Arden apart: it has 27.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D- (9 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary runs high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.27.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher 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 and assault. 93% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 80% 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.66% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.61 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 76% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.12.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 75% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.7% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 67% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Arden 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 crime costs Arden
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Arden about $773 a year per household, 36% less than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $25 million a year, or $1,040 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$1.4 million
$57
Rape
$350,000
$14
Robbery
$290,000
$12
Assault
$2.9 million
$120
Burglary
$620,000
$26
Theft
$1.3 million
$53
Vehicle theft
$510,000
$21
Arson
$73,000
$3
Vandalism
$670,000
$28
Total
$8.1 million
$333
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Arden means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
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.
Schools in Arden, NC average a SchoolGrade of B+: 60% of students test proficient, against 54% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Arden on SchoolGrade
