The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Amboy, NJ
South Amboy is a city of 21,000 in Middlesex County, about 25 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
Is South Amboy, NJ safe?
Yes. An overall CrimeGrade™ of A- means crime in South Amboy is low. Most US neighborhoods have little crime too, so South Amboy sits near the middle: 48% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime, and 52% in neighborhoods with less. Violent crime grades A and property crime B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within South Amboy run from A+ to B, so check the map below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 827 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
48% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than South Amboy as a whole, and 52% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Amboy scores 827.
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.
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 South Amboy, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Amboy, 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 South Amboy
Aggravated assaults are uncommon. South Amboy has aggravated assaults at less than half the US rate: 1.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of South Amboy
Every part of South Amboy where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across South Amboy run from A+ to B; 35% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within South Amboy, the southwest side has the least crime and the north side the most.
Crime rates and types in South Amboy
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Amboy has about 26 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 29% less than the US as a whole and close to New Jersey.
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 South Amboy, about 38% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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 South Amboy
South Amboy has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In South Amboy, 51% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often on streets and sidewalks: 82% of them, against 18% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (51%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Streets and sidewalks (57%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Streets and sidewalks (82%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How South Amboy compares with nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to South Amboy, 8 have less crime. Matawan and Madison Park have the least.
Two things set South Amboy apart: it has a Walk Grade of C (34 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 6.4 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Even so, 57% of residents in South Amboy live in car-dependent areas, where most errands take a car. Very walkable places tend to report more theft and assault, and they run high here.
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.C (34 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 85% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.6.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 84% 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.3.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 83% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.24 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 81% 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.39% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 75% 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.99% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 67% of US city residents
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 South Amboy
Crime costs South Amboy about $656 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 46% 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 $13 million a year, or $636 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$500,000
$24
Rape
$340,000
$16
Robbery
$150,000
$7
Assault
$1.7 million
$82
Burglary
$370,000
$18
Theft
$1.1 million
$52
Vehicle theft
$700,000
$33
Arson
$23,000
$1
Vandalism
$550,000
$26
Total
$5.4 million
$259
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 South Amboy 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. South Amboy 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
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.
Schools in South Amboy, NJ average a SchoolGrade of C: 39% of students test proficient, against 30% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in South Amboy on SchoolGrade
