The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Laurel, MD
South Laurel is an unincorporated community of 27,000 in Prince George's County, about 16 miles northeast of downtown Washington · Updated November 2026
Is South Laurel, MD safe?
Crime in South Laurel is high by national standards, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of C+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 82% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than South Laurel. Violent crime grades B- and property crime C. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within South Laurel run from A- to F, so check the map below.
C+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 504 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
18% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than South Laurel as a whole, and 82% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Laurel scores 504.
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 Laurel, MD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Laurel, 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 Laurel
Burglary is a strength. South Laurel grades C for property crime, but burglary grades A, better than in the neighborhoods where 57% of Americans live.
Vehicle theft at more than double the US rate. South Laurel has 7.5 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of South Laurel
Crime varies widely across South Laurel: 34% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 22% in areas graded D or F. Grades across South Laurel run from A- to F; every part of South Laurel has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
34%44%22%
A or B 34%C 44%D or F 22%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within South Laurel, the south side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in South Laurel
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Laurel has about 31 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.
Theft is the most common crime in South Laurel, about 32% of everything reported.
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 South Laurel compares with nearby cities
South Laurel has more crime than 8 of its 9 nearest cities. Annapolis Junction and Burtonsville have the least crime nearby.
Two things set South Laurel apart: it has 5.4 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 21 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.5.4 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 90% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.21 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 86% 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. 82% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (16 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 57% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.0 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 77% of US city residents
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 South Laurel: D (15 of 100).6 trips an hourUS: noneHigher 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.34% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 72% 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 Laurel
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs South Laurel about $1,452 a year per household, 20% more 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 $54 million a year, or $1,984 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$5.1 million
$190
Rape
$400,000
$15
Robbery
$1.1 million
$39
Assault
$1.5 million
$56
Burglary
$250,000
$9
Theft
$1.4 million
$51
Vehicle theft
$3.1 million
$115
Arson
$7,800
under $1
Vandalism
$1.5 million
$57
Total
$14 million
$533
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 Laurel 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 Laurel 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 Laurel, MD average a SchoolGrade of D-: 21% of students test proficient, against 16% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in South Laurel on SchoolGrade
