Crime in Pennington, AL

Pennington is a town of 486 in Choctaw County, about 40 miles east of downtown Meridian · Updated November 2026

Is Pennington, AL safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Pennington: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 90% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 961 of 1,000
Safer than nearly all US neighborhoods What this means

90% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Pennington as a whole, and 10% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pennington scores 961.

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 954 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 973 of 1,000Less property crime than nearly all US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Pennington

Map of Pennington 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 Pennington, AL at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Pennington, 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 Pennington

Crime per resident runs higher than the grade. Pennington draws many workers, shoppers and visitors: it has 16.5 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Crimes against them are counted against the few who live here, so crime per resident looks higher than the CrimeGrade™ suggests. The CrimeGrade™ counts everyone who spends time here.


Crime rates and types in Pennington

CrimeGrade™ estimates Pennington has about 21 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 43% less than the US as a whole and 47% less than Alabama.

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 Pennington, about 40% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.150.05
RapeA+under 10.240.38
RobberyA+under 10.070.62
AssaultA+48.512.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+under 12.02.4
TheftA+36.113.1
Vehicle theftA+under 11.02.7
ArsonA-under 10.980.12
VandalismA+under 12.05.5

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 Pennington

The Choctaw County Sheriff's Office polices Pennington, and these figures cover every place it serves, 2022 to 2024.

In Pennington, 68% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (68%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (60%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)

Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times; they are over one in five for burglary.


How Pennington compares with nearby cities

Pennington has more crime than 9 of its 10 nearest cities. Mount Sterling and Jachin have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PenningtonA+961A+A+486
Tompkinsville 4 milesA+965A+A+157
Jachin 5 milesA+979A+A+299
Lavaca 5 milesA+977A+A+319
Myrtlewood 7 milesA+978A+A+132
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Mount Sterling 10 milesA+979A+A+541
Mollie 10 milesA+978A+A+64
Nanafalia 11 milesA+967A+A+153
Halsell 12 milesA+975A+A+117
Butler 13 milesA+936A+A+3,240
Ward 13 milesA+964A+A+354

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Pennington has more crime than 73% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PenningtonA+961A+A+486
Verdi, MNA+994A+A+486
Middleton, TXA+989A+A+486
Short Tract, NYA+975A+A+486
Bertram, IAA+966A+A+486
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Chautauqua, NYA+960A+A+486
Roseglen, PAA+954A+A+486
Modoc, GAA+952A+A+486
Vernonburg, GAA+938A+A+486
Jeff, KYA+936A+A+486
Adelphi, OHA+928A+A486

What crime costs Pennington

Crime costs Pennington about $920 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 24% 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 $1.2 million a year, or $2,462 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$140,000$282
Rape$7,000$14
Robbery$1,100$2
Assault$45,000$93
Burglary$8,800$18
Theft$15,000$31
Vehicle theft$7,700$16
Arson$11,000$23
Vandalism$7,000$14
Total$240,000$495

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 Pennington 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 Pennington

Schools in Pennington, AL average a SchoolGrade of F: 17% of students test proficient, against 12% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Pennington on SchoolGrade