The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in District of Columbia: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	F
Property Crime Grade	F
Other Crime Grade	F

Which crimes are included?

$857.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for District of Columbia

In 2025, crime will cost $2,620 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Safe?

The F overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where District of Columbia's combined rate is much higher than the norm. District of Columbia sits in the 1st percentile, ahead of 1% of states and behind 99%. The grade covers only District of Columbia's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in District of Columbia is 67.25 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 12 in the southwest cities to 1 in 20 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southeast parts of District of Columbia report the most crime, about 9,274 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 42 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in District of Columbia

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in District of Columbia for 2025 is $857,523,712, about $1,264 per resident and $2,620 per household. That equals 1.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 50.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 37.6%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in District of Columbia Compared to Other States?

District of Columbia:	$1264
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in District of Columbia is $1,264 per year, which is $800 more than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to District of Columbia:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $429 less than in District of Columbia.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $1,024 less than in District of Columbia

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to District of Columbia	Cost per District of Columbia Resident
Murder	$383.4 million	$565
Rape/Sexual Assault	$31.0 million	$46
Robbery	$79.3 million	$117
Assault	$71.4 million	$105
Kidnapping	$3.26 million	$5
Vehicle Theft	$65.2 million	$96
Burglary	$11.8 million	$17
Theft	$90.9 million	$134
Arson	$141,195	$0
Vandalism	$97.6 million	$144
Animal Cruelty	$99,654	$0
Drug Crimes	$11.4 million	$17
Identity Theft	$12.1 million	$18
Total Cost of Crime	$857,523,712	$1,264

The Intangible Cost of Crime in District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia totals $2,748,577,744 ($4,051 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $3,606,101,456 ($5,315 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 west part of the state 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 District of Columbia has 354, do the same, and of District of Columbia's 678,492 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 District of Columbia at ISP Reports.

District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.662
Robbery	3.713
Rape	0.7525
Murder	0.3007
Total Violent Crime	8.429 (F)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	25.88
Vehicle Theft	6.202
Burglary	1.920
Arson	0.0086
Total Property Crime	34.01 (F)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0793
Drug Crimes	2.281
Vandalism	20.14
Identity Theft	2.295
Animal Cruelty	0.0199
Total "Other" Rate	24.81 (F)

Individual District of Columbia Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

Compared to surrounding states, the rate of crime in District of Columbia is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for states close to District of Columbia.

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Maryland	C	C-	C+
Delaware	D	C-	C-
Pennsylvania	A	A-	A-
Virginia	B-	B+	B-
New Jersey	A+	A	A-
West Virginia	A-	B+	A
New York	A-	C	B-
North Carolina	C-	C-	C-
Connecticut	B+	A+	B
Ohio	C+	B-	B-

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

District of Columbia is higher versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Alaska	C+	F	F
Hawaii	B	A	A
Puerto Rico	F	F	F
Vermont	B+	A-	A-
Wisconsin	B	B-	B-
Washington	D-	C	C
Texas	D+	D+	D+
South Dakota	C	C	C
South Carolina	D-	D	D
Rhode Island	A	A	A

Considering only the crime rate, District of Columbia is as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in District of Columbia average SchoolGrade of B+, with 52% actual proficiency versus 29% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See District of Columbia 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.