Clark is a township of 16,100 in Union County, about 20 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
Is Clark, NJ safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Clark: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 64% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A-. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 893 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
64% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Clark as a whole, and 36% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Clark scores 893.
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 Clark, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Clark, 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 Clark
Thefts run above the US rate. Clark has less crime than the US as a whole, 19% below the US rate, but more thefts: 22.0 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen in the morning far more often than nationally. In Clark, 56% of reported thefts from cars happen in the morning (6 am to noon), against 23% nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Clark
Every part of Clark where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Clark run from A+ to A-; 99% 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 Clark, the south side has the least crime and the east side the most.
Is crime going up in Clark?
Reported property crime in Clark has risen 74% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 14 to 24 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime rose 13%.
Property crime, change since 2019
ClarkUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Clark. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Clark
Property, US
2016
-20%
+15%
2017
-4%
+12%
2018
+2%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-37%
-8%
2021
-11%
-10%
2022
+28%
-6%
2023
+53%
-7%
2024
+74%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Clark
CrimeGrade™ estimates Clark has about 30 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 19% less than the US as a whole and close to New Jersey.
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 Clark, about 73% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.
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.
Where and when crime happens in Clark
Clark has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Clark, 85% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (85%)
Night (midnight to 6 am)
Car theft
Homes (49%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (38%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Clark compares with nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to Clark, 6 have less crime. Westfield and Scotch Plains have the least.
Empty homes, night lighting and walkability in Clark
Two things set Clark apart: it has 1.8% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 68 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places with few empty homes tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and vandalism runs low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.8% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 96% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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. 87% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 56% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.68 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 85% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 80% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 67% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Clark 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 Clark
Crime costs Clark about $562 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 53% 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 $6.5 million a year, or $404 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$160,000
$10
Rape
$110,000
$7
Robbery
$91,000
$6
Assault
$580,000
$36
Burglary
$250,000
$16
Theft
$1.8 million
$113
Vehicle theft
$200,000
$13
Arson
$6,000
under $1
Vandalism
$240,000
$15
Total
$3.5 million
$216
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 Clark 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 Clark, NJ average a SchoolGrade of B+: 49% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Clark on SchoolGrade
