The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Scaggsville, MD

Scaggsville is an unincorporated community of 30,500 in Howard County, about 17 miles southwest of downtown Baltimore · Updated November 2026

Is Scaggsville, MD safe?

Crime in Scaggsville is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 69% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Scaggsville. Violent crime grades B+ and property crime B. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Scaggsville run from A to D+, so check the map below.

B+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 699 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

31% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Scaggsville as a whole, and 69% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Scaggsville scores 699.

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.

B+
Violent crimeSafety score 739 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
B
Property crimeSafety score 628 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Scaggsville

Map of Scaggsville 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 Scaggsville, MD at ISP Reports.

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

Aggravated assault is a strength. Scaggsville grades B+ for violent crime, but aggravated assault grades A, better than in the neighborhoods where 63% of Americans live.


The safest and least safe parts of Scaggsville

Most of Scaggsville grades well: 75% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 7% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Scaggsville run from A to D+; 32% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 75%C 18%D or F 7%

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

Within Scaggsville, the northwest side has the least crime and the southeast side the most.


Crime rates and types in Scaggsville

CrimeGrade™ estimates Scaggsville has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 23% less than the US as a whole and 31% less than Maryland.

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 Scaggsville, about 32% of everything reported.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderB+10.040.05
RapeA-50.170.38
RobberyB170.540.62
AssaultB+2558.412.3
Property crime
BurglaryA401.32.4
TheftB2839.313.1
Vehicle theftC+1344.42.7
ArsonA-30.110.12
VandalismB+1344.45.5

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.


How Scaggsville compares with nearby cities

Scaggsville has more crime than 6 of its 10 nearest cities. Fulton and Annapolis Junction have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
ScaggsvilleB+699B+B30,500
Laurel 2 milesB-612B+C43,300
Savage 2 milesB+741A-B3,660
Fulton 4 milesA905A+A6,740
Baltimore 18 milesF0FF531,400
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Maryland City 3 milesB670B+B19,700
Jessup 4 milesA-793AB+15,200
Annapolis Junction 4 milesA-806AB+1,240
South Laurel 4 milesC+504B-C27,000
Burtonsville 4 milesA-782AB16,400
Columbia 5 milesB+740A-B96,500

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

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Scaggsville has more crime than 82% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
ScaggsvilleB+699B+B30,500
Riverside, NJA877AA-30,500
Temescal Valley, CAA862AA-30,600
Golden Gate, FLA850A-A30,500
Oakdale, CAA848A-A30,400
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Maple Valley, WAA847AB+30,600
Franconia, VAA-813AB+30,500
Magna, UTA-778A-B+30,400
Galt, CAB+726A-B30,500
Randallstown, MDB-577BC+30,400
Garfield Heights, OHB-544C+B30,500

Shops, empty homes and walkability in Scaggsville

Two things set Scaggsville apart: it has 2.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 2.7% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.2.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 98% 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.2.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 90% 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. 96% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (9 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 79% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.22 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 85% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 72% 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.23% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 60% of US city residents

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

Crime costs Scaggsville about $1,052 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 $30 million a year, or $999 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$2.5 million$81
Rape$310,000$10
Robbery$510,000$17
Assault$2.4 million$77
Burglary$360,000$12
Theft$1.5 million$48
Vehicle theft$2.1 million$67
Arson$79,000$3
Vandalism$950,000$31
Total$11 million$345

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 Scaggsville 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. Scaggsville is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.

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 Scaggsville

Schools in Scaggsville, MD average a SchoolGrade of A: 50% of students test proficient, against 42% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Scaggsville on SchoolGrade