The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Morris Plains, NJ
Morris Plains is a borough of 21,500 in Morris County, about 25 miles west of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
Is Morris Plains, NJ safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Morris Plains: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 82% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A; see the map below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 940 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
82% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Morris Plains as a whole, and 18% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Morris Plains scores 940.
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 Morris Plains, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Morris Plains, 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 Morris Plains
Simple assaults and acts of vandalism both run low. In Morris Plains, each runs at a small fraction of the US rate: 2.3 simple assaults and 1.5 acts of vandalism a year per 1,000 residents, against 9.7 and 5.5 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of Morris Plains
Every part of Morris Plains where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Morris Plains run from A+ to A; every part of Morris Plains has 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 Morris Plains, the northwest side has the least crime and the south side the most.
Crime rates and types in Morris Plains
CrimeGrade™ estimates Morris Plains has about 11 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 69% less than the US as a whole and 58% less than New Jersey.
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 Morris Plains is theft, about 53% 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 Morris Plains compares with nearby cities
Morris Plains has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest cities.
Empty homes, shops and walkability in Morris Plains
Two things set Morris Plains apart: it has 2.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 1.2 parking-lot spaces per resident, against 2.0 nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run low here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 94% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 79% 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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (13 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 66% 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.1.2 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 72% 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.99% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 68% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.35 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 62% 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 Morris Plains
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Morris Plains about $268 a year per household, 78% 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 $4.8 million a year, or $225 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$210,000
$10
Rape
$95,000
$4
Robbery
$38,000
$2
Assault
$580,000
$27
Burglary
$150,000
$7
Theft
$680,000
$32
Vehicle theft
$85,000
$4
Arson
$6,800
under $1
Vandalism
$230,000
$10
Total
$2.1 million
$96
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 Morris Plains 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. Morris Plains is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 Morris Plains, NJ average a SchoolGrade of A: 57% of students test proficient, against 41% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Morris Plains on SchoolGrade
