The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Gwynn Oak, MD
Gwynn Oak is a city of 14,500 in Baltimore City, about 5 miles northwest of downtown Baltimore · Updated November 2026
Is Gwynn Oak, MD safe?
Crime in Gwynn Oak is high, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of F. Most US neighborhoods have far less: 95% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Gwynn Oak. Violent crime grades F and property crime D-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Gwynn Oak run from C+ to F, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
F
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 0 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
5% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Gwynn Oak as a whole, and 95% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Gwynn Oak scores 0.
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 Gwynn Oak, MD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Gwynn Oak, 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 Gwynn Oak
Thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks far more often than nationally. In Gwynn Oak, 72% of reported thefts from cars happen on streets and sidewalks, against 18% nationally.
Robbery at more than triple the US rate. Gwynn Oak has 3.5 robberies a year per 1,000 residents, against 0.62 nationally.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Gwynn Oak
Every part of Gwynn Oak grades D or F on the national scale. Grades across Gwynn Oak run from C+ to F; every part of Gwynn Oak has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
99%
C 1%D or F 99%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Franklintown, southwestThefts run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Gwynn Oak.D162
2Wakefield, southAggravated assaults run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Gwynn Oak.F57
3Grove Park, northThefts run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Gwynn Oak.F0
4Howard Park, centralClose to the rest of Gwynn Oak on most crimes.F0
5Forest Park, southeastSimple assaults run about 70% higher here than in the rest of Gwynn Oak.F0
Neighborhood areas of Gwynn Oak, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is crime going up in Gwynn Oak?
Since 2019, reported violent crime in Gwynn Oak is down 14%, while property crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 19 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 43 to 42 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 19%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Gwynn OakUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Gwynn Oak. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Gwynn Oak
Violent, US
Property, Gwynn Oak
Property, US
2016
-4%
+4%
+11%
+15%
2017
+9%
+4%
+14%
+12%
2018
-1%
+0%
+4%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-14%
+4%
-27%
-8%
2021
-8%
+6%
-34%
-10%
2022
-8%
+5%
-22%
-6%
2023
-10%
+2%
+18%
-7%
2024
-14%
-4%
-4%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Gwynn Oak
CrimeGrade™ estimates Gwynn Oak has about 65 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 74% more than the US as a whole and 57% more than Maryland.
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.
Assault is the most common crime in Gwynn Oak, about 32% of everything reported.
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 Gwynn Oak
The Baltimore Police Department polices Gwynn Oak; these figures cover Baltimore as a whole, 2022 to 2024.
In Baltimore as a whole, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (70%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (72%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (72%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Streets and sidewalks (44%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Robbery
Streets and sidewalks (58%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (49%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Gwynn Oak compares with nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to Gwynn Oak, 8 have less crime. Catonsville and Pikesville have the least.
Two things set Gwynn Oak apart: it has 2.9 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.2.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 98% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 94% 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. 70% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (23 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 67% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 94% 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
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Gwynn Oak: C- (30 of 100).12 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 87% of US city residents
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 Gwynn Oak
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Gwynn Oak about $2,806 a year per household, more than double 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 $69 million a year, or $4,745 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$6.3 million
$435
Rape
$320,000
$22
Robbery
$1.6 million
$109
Assault
$4.0 million
$272
Burglary
$490,000
$34
Theft
$1.3 million
$92
Vehicle theft
$1.8 million
$125
Arson
$78,000
$5
Vandalism
$1.0 million
$72
Total
$17 million
$1,165
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 Gwynn Oak 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
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 Gwynn Oak, MD average a SchoolGrade of F: 18% of students test proficient, against 16% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Gwynn Oak on SchoolGrade
