The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Severn, MD

Severn is an unincorporated community of 37,400 in Anne Arundel County, about 12 miles south of downtown Baltimore · Updated November 2026

Is Severn, MD safe?

Crime in Severn is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 63% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Severn. Violent crime grades A- and property crime B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Severn run from A to C+, so check the map below.

B+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 754 of 1,000
Less safe than most US neighborhoods What this means

37% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Severn as a whole, and 63% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Severn scores 754.

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 778 of 1,000More violent crime than most US neighborhoods
B+
Property crimeSafety score 713 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Severn

Map of Severn 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 Severn, MD at ISP Reports.

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

Burglaries are less common than in most B-graded cities. Severn has 1.3 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a B-graded US city, the figure is 2.7.


The safest and least safe parts of Severn

Low crime is the norm across Severn: 83% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across Severn run from A to C+; 21% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 83%C 17%

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

Within Severn, the southeast side has the least crime and the southwest side the most.


Crime rates and types in Severn

CrimeGrade™ estimates Severn has about 32 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 15% less than the US as a whole and 24% 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.

The largest share of crime reported in Severn is assault, about 38% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderAunder 10.020.05
RapeA-90.240.38
RobberyB+150.410.62
AssaultB44511.912.3
Property crime
BurglaryA471.32.4
TheftB-41311.013.1
Vehicle theftB+1193.22.7
ArsonA20.050.12
VandalismA-1293.45.5

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 Severn compares with nearby cities

Severn has more crime than 7 of its 9 nearest cities. Hanover and Millersville have the least crime nearby.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SevernB+754A-B+37,400
Hanover 3 milesA865AA-21,300
Fort Meade 3 milesA-821A-A-13,800
Odenton 4 milesA-771A-B+38,700
Baltimore 14 milesF0FF531,400
Show all 9
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Millersville 4 milesA-838AA-21,600
Annapolis Junction 5 milesA-806AB+1,240
Glen Burnie 5 milesB-605BB-73,500
Jessup 5 milesA-793AB+15,200
Elkridge 6 milesB+763A-B22,800

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

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

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
SevernB+754A-B+37,400
Moorpark, CAA909AA37,500
Oak Creek, WIA907AA37,300
Saratoga Springs, NYA898AA37,400
Greenfield, WIA880A+A-37,300
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
West Babylon, NYA859AA-37,500
Rio Grande City, TXA-819A-A37,200
Adrian, MIA-781B+A-37,300
Gurabo, PRB+739BA37,300
Temple City, CAB+722B+B37,400
Jamestown, NYB652B-B+37,200

Shops, jobs and walkability in Severn

Two things set Severn apart: it has 3.1 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 14 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. 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.3.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 97% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 93% 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. 99% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 90% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 87% 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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 72% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.3 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 67% of US city residents

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

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Severn about $968 a year per household, 20% 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 $34 million a year, or $921 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$1.4 million$37
Rape$540,000$14
Robbery$480,000$13
Assault$5.0 million$132
Burglary$430,000$11
Theft$2.1 million$57
Vehicle theft$1.8 million$49
Arson$44,000$1
Vandalism$910,000$24
Total$13 million$339

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 Severn 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 Severn

Schools in Severn, MD average a SchoolGrade of C-: 31% of students test proficient, against 34% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Severn on SchoolGrade