The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Downtown Memphis

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Downtown Memphis. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

F

Overall Crime Grade™

F
F
Other Crime Grade
F

$122.3 million

Cost of Crime™ for Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN

In 2025, crime will cost $5,225 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Downtown Memphis 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 Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN Safe?

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

The overall crime rate in Downtown Memphis is 150.1 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the neighborhood the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 4 in the southwest areas to 1 in 20 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southwest parts of Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN report the most crime, about 1,153 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 136 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Downtown Memphis for 2025 is $122,336,922, about $2,536 per resident and $5,225 per household. That equals 7.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 50.7%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 38.2%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 10.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Downtown Memphis Compared to Other Neighborhoods?

Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN: $2536
Parkway Village-Oakhaven, Memp: $2352
Four Corners, Antioch, TN: $459
Tennessee: $694
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Downtown Memphis is $2,536 per year, which is $2,072 more than the national average and $1,843 more than Memphis's city average. The comparison below uses neighborhoods similar to Downtown Memphis:
  • In Parkway Village-Oakhaven, Memp, crime costs $2,352 per person, which is $184 less than in Downtown Memphis.
  • In Four Corners, Antioch, TN, crime costs $459 per person, which is $2,077 less than in Downtown Memphis

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Downtown Memphis for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Downtown Memphis
Cost per Downtown Memphis Resident
Murder
$37.6 million
$780
Rape/Sexual Assault
$2.17 million
$45
Robbery
$4.39 million
$91
Assault
$34.1 million
$706
Kidnapping
$2.30 million
$48
Vehicle Theft
$9.45 million
$196
Burglary
$3.97 million
$82
Theft
$15.6 million
$324
Arson
$196,220
$4
Vandalism
$9.72 million
$202
Animal Cruelty
$66,606
$1
Drug Crimes
$2.77 million
$57
Identity Theft
$16,696
$0
Total Cost of Crime
$122,336,922
$2,536

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN

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 Downtown Memphis totals $270,189,715 ($5,602 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $392,526,636 ($8,138 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 neighborhood 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 Downtown Memphis has 29, do the same, and of Downtown Memphis's 48,232 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 Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN at ISP Reports.

Downtown Memphis 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 Downtown Memphis residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
24.58
Robbery
2.891
Rape
0.7429
Murder
0.4149
Total Violent Crime
28.63 (F)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
62.54
Vehicle Theft
12.66
Burglary
9.064
Arson
0.1685
Total Property Crime
84.43 (F)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.7876
Drug Crimes
7.772
Vandalism
28.22
Identity Theft
0.0447
Animal Cruelty
0.1867
Total "Other" Rate
37.01 (F)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Neighborhoods

Compared to surrounding neighborhoods, the rate of crime in Downtown Memphis is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for neighborhoods close to Downtown Memphis.

Nearby Neighborhood
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
D
D+
D-

Crime Maps and Rates for Neighborhood with Similar Populations

Downtown Memphis is higher versus other neighborhoods of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in neighborhoods with comparable overall population in the neighborhood‘s boundaries.

Similar Neighborhood
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
B-
C+
C+
F
F
F
C
D+
D+
A
A-
A-
C
C-
C-
B-
D-
D-
A-
B-
B-
B+
B
B
A
A
A
B+
C-
C-

Considering only the crime rate, Downtown Memphis is less safe than the Tennessee state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN average SchoolGrade of F, with 10% actual proficiency versus 14% projected; overall, schools don't meet expectations. See Downtown Memphis 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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Home Security

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Home Security Companies in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, TN

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.