The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Hamblen County, TN

Hamblen County is home to 65,700 residents and includes Morristown and White Pine · Updated November 2026

Is Hamblen County, TN safe?

Yes, crime in Hamblen County is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Hamblen County sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 44% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A- here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Hamblen County run from A+ to B-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A-
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 807 of 1,000
About as safe as the typical US neighborhood What this means

44% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Hamblen County as a whole, and 56% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Hamblen County scores 807.

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.

A-
Violent crimeSafety score 785 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A-
Property crimeSafety score 844 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhood

How it works


Crime map of Hamblen County

Map of Hamblen County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Hamblen County, TN at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Hamblen County, 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 Hamblen County

Aggravated assaults run high for an A-graded county. Hamblen County has 4.8 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of an A-graded US county, the figure is 1.6.

Robbery is a strength. Hamblen County grades A- for violent crime, but robbery grades A+, better than in the neighborhoods where 62% of Americans live.


The safest and most dangerous places in Hamblen County

Every part of Hamblen County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Hamblen County run from A+ to B-; 51% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Whitesburg3,330A923
  2. 2Talbott9,770A911

Most crime

  1. 1Morristown52,500A-778
  2. 2Russellville4,150A901

Cities and towns in Hamblen County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the southeast side has the least crime and the center the most.


Is crime going up in Hamblen County?

Reported crime in Hamblen County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 11% and property crime down 45%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 5.8 to 5.2 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 29 to 16 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 18%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Hamblen CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Hamblen County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Hamblen CountyViolent, USProperty, Hamblen CountyProperty, US
2016-15%+4%+4%+15%
2017-10%+4%+1%+12%
2018+0%+0%+2%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+2%+4%-9%-8%
2021-11%+6%-19%-10%
2022-8%+5%-21%-6%
2023-4%+2%-34%-7%
2024-11%-4%-45%-15%

Crime rates and types in Hamblen County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Hamblen County has about 45 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% more than the US as a whole and close to Tennessee.

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.

The largest share of crime reported in Hamblen County is assault, about 50% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+20.030.05
RapeA200.300.38
RobberyA+110.170.62
AssaultB-1,46122.212.3
Property crime
BurglaryA1442.22.4
TheftA-79512.113.1
Vehicle theftA1271.92.7
ArsonA80.120.12
VandalismA-3815.85.5

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 Hamblen County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Hamblen County, 2022 to 2024.

In Hamblen County, 70% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 52% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (70%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (60%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from carsHomes (52%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
VandalismHomes (53%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assaultHomes (64%)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 Hamblen County compares with nearby counties

Hamblen County has the most crime of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hamblen CountyA-807A-A-65,700
Grainger County 11 milesA+943A+A+24,300
Jefferson County 14 milesA+926A+A+56,900
Cocke County 20 milesA900AA36,800
Bristol City, VA 68 milesB+720B+B+16,800
Show all 11
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hancock County 21 milesA+962A+A+6,850
Greene County 26 milesA906AA71,600
Claiborne County 27 milesA+949A+A+32,500
Union County 29 milesA+939A+A20,400
Sevier County 29 milesA897AA99,700
Hawkins County 29 milesA+939A+A+58,000
Lee County, VA 36 milesA+948A+A+21,900

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Hamblen County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Hamblen County has more crime than 94% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Hamblen CountyA-807A-A-65,700
Apache County, AZA+969A+A+65,300
Sauk County, WIA+955A+A+66,000
Warren County, NYA+952A+A+65,500
Pulaski County, KYA+951A+A+65,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Lamar County, MSA+929A+A65,700
Wilkes County, NCA+927AA+65,900
Hood County, TXA+924A+A65,900
Pender County, NCA913AA+65,600
Salem County, NJA867AA65,300
Lee County, NCA866AA-65,800

Density, transit and walkability in Hamblen County

Two things set Hamblen County apart: it has 2% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D- (9 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less robbery, and it runs low here.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.2% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 91% of Americans
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 Hamblen County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 85% of Americans
Show all 6
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.52% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 82% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 80% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.51 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 72% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Hamblen County 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 Hamblen County

Crime costs Hamblen County about $1,284 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 6% more 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 $99 million a year, or $1,510 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$3.4 million$52
Rape$1.2 million$18
Robbery$350,000$5
Assault$17 million$263
Burglary$1.3 million$20
Theft$4.1 million$62
Vehicle theft$2.0 million$30
Arson$190,000$3
Vandalism$2.7 million$41
Total$32 million$494

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 Hamblen County 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Hamblen County

Schools in Hamblen County, TN average a SchoolGrade of B: 42% of students test proficient, against 35% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Hamblen County on SchoolGrade