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

D+

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	D

Which crimes are included?

$517.0 million

Cost of Crime™ for Knoxville, TN

In 2025, crime will cost $1,361 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of the Knoxville area 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 Knoxville, TN Safe?

The D+ overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where the Knoxville area's combined rate is higher than the norm. Knoxville sits in the 27th percentile, ahead of 27% of cities and behind 73%. The grade covers only the Knoxville area's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in the Knoxville area is 33.28 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the south part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 23 in the east neighborhoods to 1 in 45 in the south.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Knoxville, TN report the most crime, about 6,272 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 1,295 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Knoxville, TN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Knoxville for 2025 is $517,021,782, about $550 per resident and $1,361 per household. That equals 1.4% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.6%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 34.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Knoxville Compared to Other Cities?

Knoxville, TN:	$550
Bolivar, TN:	$1463
Castalian Springs, TN:	$302
Tennessee:	$694
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Knoxville is $550 per year, which is $86 more than the national average and $143 less than Tennessee's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Knoxville:

In Bolivar, TN, crime costs $1,463 per person, which is $913 more than in Knoxville.
In Castalian Springs, TN, crime costs $302 per person, which is $248 less than in Knoxville

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Knoxville	Cost per Knoxville Resident
Murder	$151.2 million	$161
Rape/Sexual Assault	$41.9 million	$45
Robbery	$15.7 million	$17
Assault	$98.8 million	$105
Kidnapping	$10.4 million	$11
Vehicle Theft	$41.7 million	$44
Burglary	$19.5 million	$21
Theft	$52.1 million	$55
Arson	$2.97 million	$3
Vandalism	$35.5 million	$38
Animal Cruelty	$402,354	$0
Drug Crimes	$46.4 million	$49
Identity Theft	$526,675	$1
Total Cost of Crime	$517,021,782	$550

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Knoxville, 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 Knoxville totals $1,234,488,149 ($1,314 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,751,509,931 ($1,864 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 central part of the city 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 the Knoxville area has 54, do the same, and of the Knoxville area's 939,710 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 Knoxville, TN at ISP Reports.

Knoxville 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 Knoxville residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.662
Robbery	0.5298
Rape	0.7347
Murder	0.0856
Total Violent Crime	5.012 (D)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	10.71
Vehicle Theft	2.864
Burglary	2.290
Arson	0.1308
Total Property Crime	15.99 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1824
Drug Crimes	6.681
Vandalism	5.281
Identity Theft	0.0724
Animal Cruelty	0.0579
Total "Other" Rate	12.27 (D)

Individual Knoxville Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in the Knoxville area is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to the Knoxville area.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Powell, TN	D+	D-	C-
Louisville, TN	C	D+	B-
Edgemoor, TN	D+	D+	D+
Rockford, TN	D	D	C-
Clinton, TN	D+	D	C-
Farragut, TN	D+	C+	D+
Seymour, TN	C	D+	C+
Oak Ridge, TN	D	C-	D+
Mascot, TN	D	F	C-
Strawberry Plains, TN	C-	D	C

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Knoxville is similar versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Baton Rouge, LA	D	D-	D-
Oxnard, CA	C	D+	D+
Allentown, PA	B	B	B
New Haven, CT	C	A-	A-
Sarasota, FL	A+	A-	A-
El Paso, TX	D-	D	D
Columbia, SC	D-	D-	D-
McAllen, TX	D-	D-	D-
Dayton, OH	C-	C	C
Albany, NY	B-	C	C

Considering only the crime rate, the Knoxville area is safer than the Tennessee state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Knoxville, TN average SchoolGrade of C+, with 39% actual proficiency versus 38% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Knoxville 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.