Old Lyme is a town of 8,150 in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, about 18 miles southwest of downtown Norwich · Updated November 2026
Is Old Lyme, CT safe?
Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Old Lyme has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 95% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. Every neighborhood in Old Lyme grades A+.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 974 of 1,000Safer than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
95% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Old Lyme as a whole, and 5% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Old Lyme scores 974.
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 Old Lyme, CT at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Old Lyme, 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 Old Lyme
Car thefts happen in the morning far more often than nationally. In Old Lyme, 48% of reported car thefts happen in the morning (6 am to noon), against 23% nationally.
Crime rates and types in Old Lyme
CrimeGrade™ estimates Old Lyme has about 6.2 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 83% less than the US as a whole and 77% less than Connecticut.
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 Old Lyme, about 36% of everything reported.
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 Old Lyme
The Connecticut State Police polices Old Lyme, and these figures cover every place it serves, 2022 to 2024.
In Old Lyme, 51% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 35% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Homes (56%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (35%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (43%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (59%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assault
Homes (39%)
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 Old Lyme compares with nearby cities
Old Lyme has the least crime of its 4 nearest cities.
Night lighting, density and walkability in Old Lyme
Two things set Old Lyme apart: it has 5% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally, and a Walk Grade of F (3 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and vandalism, and theft runs low here.
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.5% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 98% 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.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% 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. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (3 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% 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.1.0 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 76% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.32 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 67% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.0 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 60% 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 Old Lyme
Crime costs Old Lyme about $196 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 84% 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 $2.5 million a year, or $305 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$220,000
$26
Rape
$62,000
$8
Robbery
$12,000
$1
Assault
$160,000
$20
Burglary
$21,000
$3
Theft
$90,000
$11
Vehicle theft
$73,000
$9
Arson
$3,100
under $1
Vandalism
$41,000
$5
Total
$680,000
$84
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 Old Lyme 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 Old Lyme, CT average a SchoolGrade of A: 62% of students test proficient, against 60% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Old Lyme on SchoolGrade
