The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Roane County, TN

Roane County is home to 55,200 residents and includes Kingston and Harriman · Updated November 2026

Is Roane County, TN safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Roane County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 72% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Roane County run from A+ to B, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 915 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

72% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Roane County as a whole, and 28% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Roane County scores 915.

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 914 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 914 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Roane County

Map of Roane County 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 Roane County, TN at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Roane County, 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 Roane County

Car thefts happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Roane County, 60% of reported car thefts happen at homes, against 33% nationally.

Burglaries are uncommon. Roane County has burglaries at about half the US rate: 1.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Roane County

Every part of Roane County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Roane County run from A+ to B; 87% 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.

Least crime

  1. 1Kingston17,300A+952
  2. 2Oliver Springs8,100A917

Most crime

  1. 1Harriman15,800A870
  2. 2Rockwood11,300A871

Cities and towns in Roane County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the southeast side has the least crime and the Harriman area the most.


Crime rates and types in Roane County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Roane County has about 24 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 35% less than the US as a whole and 49% 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 Roane County, 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+20.040.05
RapeA130.230.38
RobberyA+40.070.62
AssaultA4528.212.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+681.22.4
TheftA-5349.713.1
Vehicle theftA+801.42.7
ArsonA+60.100.12
VandalismA+1783.25.5

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 Roane County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Roane County, 2022 to 2024.

In Roane County, 72% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 57% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (72%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (60%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from carsHomes (57%)Evening (6 pm to midnight)
VandalismHomes (58%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (65%)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 Roane County compares with nearby counties

Roane County has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Roane CountyA915AA55,200
Morgan County 16 milesA+953A+A+21,400
Loudon County 16 milesA915AA+58,600
Anderson County 24 milesA885AA79,200
Monroe County 27 milesA902AA47,700
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Cumberland County 28 milesA+934A+A+63,600
Knox County 30 milesA-786B+A-494,100
Meigs County 31 milesA+942A+A+13,300
McMinn County 32 milesA903AA54,900
Blount County 32 milesA890AA+139,300
Rhea County 33 milesA+930AA+34,000

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

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Roane County has more crime than 64% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Roane CountyA915AA55,200
Seneca County, OHA+947A+A+54,800
Franklin County, VAA+941A+A+55,100
Johnson County, MOA+937A+A+54,700
Whiteside County, ILA+930A+A+54,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Campbell County, VAA+928A+A55,300
Navarro County, TXA922A+A54,700
Jessamine County, KYA918A+A54,600
McMinn County, TNA903AA54,900
Coffee County, ALA868AA54,900
Lenoir County, NCB+738B+A-54,900

Density, jobs and walkability in Roane County

Two things set Roane County apart: it has 0% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally, and 23 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less robbery.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.under 1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 97% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.23 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 96% of Americans
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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 95% of Americans
Show all 6
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.26% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 95% of Americans
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.7.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 93% of Americans
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 Roane County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Roane County 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 Roane County

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Roane County about $740 a year per household, 39% 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 $59 million a year, or $1,066 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$4.2 million$76
Rape$780,000$14
Robbery$120,000$2
Assault$5.4 million$99
Burglary$610,000$11
Theft$2.7 million$50
Vehicle theft$1.2 million$22
Arson$140,000$2
Vandalism$1.3 million$23
Total$17 million$299

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 Roane County 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 Roane County

Schools in Roane County, TN average a SchoolGrade of A-: 45% of students test proficient, against 40% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Roane County on SchoolGrade