The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Pulaski, TN

Pulaski is a city of 14,100 in Giles County, about 25 miles north of downtown Athens · Updated November 2026

Is Pulaski, TN safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Pulaski: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 65% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Pulaski run from A+ to B+, so check the map below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 896 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

65% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Pulaski as a whole, and 35% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Pulaski scores 896.

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 894 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 898 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Pulaski

Map of Pulaski 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 Pulaski, TN at ISP Reports.

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


The safest and least safe parts of Pulaski

Every part of Pulaski where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Pulaski run from A+ to B+; 67% of residents live in areas with 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 Pulaski, the southwest side has the least crime and the center the most.


Is crime going up in Pulaski?

Reported crime in Pulaski has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 25% and property crime down 48%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 6.2 to 4.7 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 46 to 24 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 20% and property crime fell 12%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

PulaskiUnited States

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

Data table
YearViolent, PulaskiViolent, USProperty, PulaskiProperty, US
2016+3%+4%-1%+15%
2017+22%+4%+0%+12%
2018+29%+0%+16%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020-19%+4%-30%-8%
2021-12%+6%-32%-10%
2022-27%+5%-34%-6%
2023-7%+2%-41%-7%
2024-25%-4%-48%-15%

Crime rates and types in Pulaski

CrimeGrade™ estimates Pulaski has about 36 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and 24% less than Tennessee.

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 Pulaski, about 40% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.040.05
RapeA+30.190.38
RobberyA+under 10.040.62
AssaultA-18212.912.3
Property crime
BurglaryA292.02.4
TheftA-20314.413.1
Vehicle theftA+181.32.7
ArsonA+under 10.060.12
VandalismA725.15.5

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 Pulaski

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

In Pulaski, 68% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 50% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (68%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (42%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from carsHomes (50%)Night (midnight to 6 am)
VandalismHomes (46%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (59%)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.


How Pulaski compares with nearby cities

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Pulaski has more crime than 64% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
PulaskiA896AA14,100
Columbia, KYA+974A+A+14,000
Plover, WIA+949A+A+14,000
Lake Villa, ILA923AA+14,100
Barboursville, WVA918A+A14,100
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Kingston, MAA918A+A14,100
Fort Hunt, VAA884A+A-14,100
Splendora, TXA881AA14,100
Winchester, TNA864AA14,100
Rehoboth Beach, DEA-845A-A14,100
Lakewood Park, FLA-824A-A14,100

Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).


Empty homes, shops and walkability in Pulaski

Two things set Pulaski apart: it has 14.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 15.3 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, yet burglary and vandalism run lower here than that would suggest.

Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.14.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 95% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 88% 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. 81% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (15 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 58% of US city residents
Show all 6
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Pulaski: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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.58% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 84% 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.3% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 81% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Pulaski 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 Pulaski

Crime costs Pulaski about $1,051 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 13% 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 $20 million a year, or $1,417 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.2 million$82
Rape$160,000$12
Robbery$16,000$1
Assault$2.4 million$169
Burglary$260,000$18
Theft$1.0 million$74
Vehicle theft$280,000$20
Arson$21,000$2
Vandalism$510,000$36
Total$5.8 million$413

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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski

Schools in Pulaski, TN average a SchoolGrade of C: 38% of students test proficient, against 35% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Pulaski on SchoolGrade