The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in McLean, VA
McLean is an unincorporated community of 40,700 in Fairfax County, about 9 miles west of downtown Washington · Updated November 2026
Is McLean, VA safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and McLean has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A, safer than the neighborhoods where 67% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A-. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within McLean run from A+ to B+, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 900 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
67% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than McLean as a whole, and 33% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. McLean scores 900.
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 McLean, VA at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in McLean, 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 McLean
Burglary is a strength. McLean grades A- for property crime, but burglary grades A+, better than in the neighborhoods where 84% of Americans live.
Car thefts are uncommon. McLean has car thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.78 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of McLean
Every part of McLean where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across McLean run from A+ to B+; 98% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within McLean, the northwest side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in McLean
CrimeGrade™ estimates McLean has about 24 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 35% less than the US as a whole and 29% less than Virginia.
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 McLean is theft, about 58% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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.
How McLean compares with nearby cities
McLean has less crime than 6 of its 9 nearest cities.
Two things set McLean apart: it has 11 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby, and 3.2% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery, and theft runs high here.
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 McLean: D- (11 of 100).11 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 86% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.3.2% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 84% 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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (11 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 72% 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.0.7 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 84% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 83% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.6% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 73% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of McLean 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 McLean
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs McLean about $526 a year per household, 56% less 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 $14 million a year, or $336 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$550,000
$14
Rape
$230,000
$6
Robbery
$220,000
$5
Assault
$1.9 million
$46
Burglary
$140,000
$4
Theft
$2.9 million
$72
Vehicle theft
$490,000
$12
Arson
$9,200
under $1
Vandalism
$970,000
$24
Total
$7.4 million
$182
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 McLean 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
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.
Schools in McLean, VA average a SchoolGrade of A+: 91% of students test proficient, against 70% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in McLean on SchoolGrade
