The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Putnam County, TN: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Putnam County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Putnam County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Putnam County, TN Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

D
C-
Other Crime Grade
D+

$43.5 million

Cost of Crime™ for Putnam County, TN

In 2025, crime will cost $1,241 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Putnam County with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Putnam County, TN Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Putnam County's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Putnam County sits in the 33rd percentile, ahead of 33% of counties and behind 67%. The grade covers only Putnam County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Putnam County is 36.76 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the southwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 16 in the central areas to 1 in 39 in the southwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Putnam County, TN report the most crime, about 649 cases per year. The east part reports the fewest, around 204 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Putnam County, TN

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Putnam County for 2025 is $43,520,447, about $528 per resident and $1,241 per household. That equals 1.7% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.2%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 30.7%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.0%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Putnam County Compared to Other Counties?

Putnam County, TN: $528
Shelby County, TN: $1497
Montgomery County, TN: $390
Tennessee: $694
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Putnam County is $528 per year, which is $63 more than the national average and $166 less than Tennessee's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Putnam County:
  • In Shelby County, TN, crime costs $1,497 per person, which is $970 more than in Putnam County.
  • In Montgomery County, TN, crime costs $390 per person, which is $137 less than in Putnam County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Putnam County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Putnam County
Cost per Putnam County Resident
Murder
$9.29 million
$113
Rape/Sexual Assault
$3.93 million
$48
Robbery
$1.33 million
$16
Assault
$9.94 million
$120
Kidnapping
$811,006
$10
Vehicle Theft
$2.11 million
$26
Burglary
$2.65 million
$32
Theft
$5.53 million
$67
Arson
$250,020
$3
Vandalism
$3.31 million
$40
Animal Cruelty
$47,001
$1
Drug Crimes
$4.27 million
$52
Identity Theft
$50,095
$1
Total Cost of Crime
$43,520,447
$528

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Putnam County, TN

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Putnam County totals $83,601,424 ($1,014 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $127,121,871 ($1,541 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The central part of the county holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Putnam County has 14, do the same, and of Putnam County's 82,483 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Putnam County, TN at ISP Reports.

Putnam County Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Putnam County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
4.195
Robbery
0.5118
Rape
0.7864
Murder
0.0599
Total Violent Crime
5.553 (D)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
12.95
Vehicle Theft
1.654
Burglary
3.549
Arson
0.1255
Total Property Crime
18.28 (C-)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.1622
Drug Crimes
6.998
Vandalism
5.610
Identity Theft
0.0785
Animal Cruelty
0.0770
Total "Other" Rate
12.93 (D+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Putnam County is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Putnam County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C+
D+
B-
C-
B-
C-
B
C
A-
C
C+
C+
B-
B-
B
D+
D+
D+
C
D+
C+
C+
D+
B
D+
D
C+
D+
D+
C-

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Putnam County is higher versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
A+
A+
A+
A
A
A
A-
A
A
A
A
A
D+
C+
C+
A+
A
A
D
D-
D-
A-
B
B
C+
C
C
B+
B
B

Considering only the crime rate, Putnam County is safer than the Tennessee state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Putnam County, TN average SchoolGrade of C+, with 39% actual proficiency versus 38% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Putnam County schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 2 hours 53 minutes in Putnam County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Putnam County, TN

All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.