The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Old Saybrook, CT

Old Saybrook is a town of 10,200 in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, about 35 miles southeast of downtown Hartford · Updated November 2026

Is Old Saybrook, CT safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Old Saybrook: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 81% 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 939 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

81% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Old Saybrook as a whole, and 19% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Old Saybrook scores 939.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 963 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 897 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Old Saybrook

Map of Old Saybrook shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Saybrook, CT at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Old Saybrook, 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 Saybrook

Simple assault runs low. Old Saybrook has 3.5 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 9.7.


The safest and least safe parts of Old Saybrook

Every part of Old Saybrook where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Old Saybrook run from A+ to A; every part of Old Saybrook has less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Within Old Saybrook, the northwest side has the least crime and the center the most.


Is crime going up in Old Saybrook?

Reported property crime in Old Saybrook has risen 99% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 7.1 to 16 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). Property crime changed little from 2023 to 2024.

Property crime, change since 2019

Old SaybrookUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Old Saybrook. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearProperty, Old SaybrookProperty, US
2016+66%+15%
2017+19%+12%
2018-26%+4%
2019+0%+0%
2020+27%-8%
2021+69%-10%
2022+124%-6%
2023+135%-7%
2024+128%-15%

Crime rates and types in Old Saybrook

CrimeGrade™ estimates Old Saybrook has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 41% less than the US as a whole and 19% 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.

Theft is the most common crime in Old Saybrook, about 56% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeA+10.140.38
RobberyA+20.170.62
AssaultA+403.912.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+90.872.4
TheftA12612.413.1
Vehicle theftA303.02.7
ArsonA+under 10.020.12
VandalismA+171.75.5

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 Saybrook

Old Saybrook has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.

Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 71% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
Car theftHomes (82%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsHomes (71%)Morning (6 am to noon)
VandalismHomes (34%)Morning (6 am to noon)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.


How Old Saybrook compares with nearby cities

Old Saybrook has the most crime of its 6 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Old SaybrookA+939A+A10,200
Westbrook 4 milesA+969A+A+6,660
Centerbrook 4 milesA+967A+A+1,820
Essex 4 milesA+971A+A+3,450
Ivoryton 5 milesA+974A+A+2,420
Show all 6
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Old Lyme 5 milesA+974A+A+8,150
Deep River 7 milesA+968A+A+3,820

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Old Saybrook. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Old Saybrook is safer than 63% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Old SaybrookA+939A+A10,200
Midland, NCA+963A+A+10,200
Berkeley Springs, WVA+962A+A+10,200
Chadds Ford, PAA+947A+A+10,200
Payette, IDA909AA10,200
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Orange Beach, ALA909AA+10,200
Lambertville, MIA888AA10,200
New Boston, MIA887AA+10,200
Terrace Heights, WAA870AA10,200
East York, PAA857AA-10,200
Franklin, LAA-819A-A10,200

Shops, empty homes and walkability in Old Saybrook

Two things set Old Saybrook apart: it has 30.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 1.3% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with many stores and restaurants tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.30.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% 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.1.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 98% 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- (10 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 77% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 93% 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.34% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 92% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 90% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Old Saybrook 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 Old Saybrook

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Old Saybrook about $440 a year per household, 64% 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 $3.6 million a year, or $357 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$110,000$10
Rape$84,000$8
Robbery$55,000$5
Assault$380,000$38
Burglary$79,000$8
Theft$650,000$64
Vehicle theft$460,000$45
Arson$5,500$1
Vandalism$120,000$12
Total$1.9 million$191

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 Saybrook 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Old Saybrook

Schools in Old Saybrook, CT average a SchoolGrade of A+: 63% of students test proficient, against 59% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Old Saybrook on SchoolGrade