The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Bethesda, MD: Crime Maps and Statistics

C+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	B-
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	B+

Which crimes are included?

$31.9 million

Cost of Crime™ for Bethesda, MD

In 2025, crime will cost $1,224 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Bethesda with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Bethesda, MD Safe?

The C+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Bethesda's combined rate is about the same as the norm. Bethesda sits in the 50th percentile, ahead of 50% of cities and behind 50%. The grade covers only Bethesda's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Bethesda is 23.93 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the west part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 24 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 71 in the west.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the east parts of Bethesda, MD report the most crime, about 614 cases per year. The west part reports the fewest, around 80 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Bethesda, MD

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Bethesda for 2025 is $31,941,218, about $464 per resident and $1,224 per household. That equals 0.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 49.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 39.2%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Bethesda Compared to Other Cities?

Bethesda, MD:	$464
Seat Pleasant, MD:	$1315
Cape St. Claire, MD:	$184
Maryland:	$531
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Bethesda is $464 per year, which is the same as the national average and $67 less than Maryland's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Bethesda:

In Seat Pleasant, MD, crime costs $1,315 per person, which is $851 more than in Bethesda.
In Cape St. Claire, MD, crime costs $184 per person, which is $280 less than in Bethesda

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Bethesda for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Bethesda	Cost per Bethesda Resident
Murder	$15.9 million	$230
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.81 million	$26
Robbery	$2.15 million	$31
Assault	$2.08 million	$30
Kidnapping	$58,865	$1
Vehicle Theft	$1.44 million	$21
Burglary	$1.13 million	$16
Theft	$4.61 million	$67
Arson	$212,384	$3
Vandalism	$1.08 million	$16
Animal Cruelty	$40,343	$1
Drug Crimes	$742,822	$11
Identity Theft	$720,278	$10
Total Cost of Crime	$31,941,218	$464

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Bethesda, MD

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Bethesda totals $115,319,509 ($1,675 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $147,260,727 ($2,140 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The east part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Bethesda has 15, do the same, and of Bethesda's 68,828 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Bethesda, MD at ISP Reports.

Bethesda Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Bethesda residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.052
Robbery	0.9939
Rape	0.4346
Murder	0.1226
Total Violent Crime	2.603 (B-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	12.93
Vehicle Theft	1.353
Burglary	1.811
Arson	0.1278
Total Property Crime	16.22 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0141
Drug Crimes	1.459
Vandalism	2.198
Identity Theft	1.352
Animal Cruelty	0.0792
Total "Other" Rate	5.102 (B+)

Individual Bethesda Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Bethesda is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Bethesda.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Somerset, MD	B-	B+	C-
Chevy Chase, MD	C	B-	D+
Glen Echo, MD	D	C+	D-
Chevy Chase Section Five, MD	C-	B+	D
Chevy Chase Village, MD	B-	C-	B-
Chevy Chase Section Three, MD	B+	A-	B-
North Chevy Chase, MD	B	A-	B
Martins Additions, MD	C+	B	C
Cabin John, MD	B+	A-	C+
Chevy Chase View, MD	B	B+	C

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Bethesda is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Rochester, NY	C+	D+	D+
Rockford, IL	D+	D+	D+
Rock Hill, SC	D	D+	D+
Saginaw, MI	D+	F	F
Redondo Beach, CA	D	D+	D+
Rochester Hills, MI	B	A-	A-
Richmond, CA	C-	D-	D-
Pittsburgh, PA	B-	B-	B-
Raleigh, NC	C-	C+	C+
Quincy, MA	B-	C	C

Considering only the crime rate, Bethesda is safer than the Maryland state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Bethesda, MD average SchoolGrade of A, with 61% actual proficiency versus 60% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Bethesda schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.