The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in North East, MD
North East is a town of 20,000 in Cecil County, about 50 miles southwest of downtown Philadelphia · Updated November 2026
Is North East, MD safe?
Yes, crime in North East is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, North East sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 58% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within North East run from A+ to B, so check the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 872 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
58% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than North East as a whole, and 42% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. North East scores 872.
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 North East, MD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in North East, 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 North East
Thefts are uncommon. North East has thefts at less than half the US rate: 5.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of North East
Every part of North East where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across North East run from A+ to B; 70% 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 North East, the south side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in North East
CrimeGrade™ estimates North East has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 40% less than the US as a whole and 46% less 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 North East, about 44% of everything reported, and it also accounts for 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.
Where and when crime happens in North East
North East has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Vandalism
Parking lots and garages (33%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How North East compares with nearby cities
North East has less crime than 2 of its 4 nearest cities; only Port Deposit and Charlestown have less.
Walkability, night lighting and jobs in North East
Two things set North East apart: it has a Walk Grade of D- (6 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 50% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft and assault, and theft runs low here.
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. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 88% 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.50% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 87% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.26 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 77% 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.2.3 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 69% 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.9% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 64% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.10.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 58% 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 North East
Crime costs North East about $752 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 38% 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 $17 million a year, or $866 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$750,000
$37
Rape
$480,000
$24
Robbery
$100,000
$5
Assault
$2.2 million
$112
Burglary
$250,000
$13
Theft
$530,000
$26
Vehicle theft
$540,000
$27
Arson
$13,000
$1
Vandalism
$520,000
$26
Total
$5.4 million
$271
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 North East 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. North East 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 North East, MD average a SchoolGrade of B: 38% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in North East on SchoolGrade
