The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Plainfield, NJ
South Plainfield is a borough of 24,600 in Middlesex County, about 25 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan · Updated November 2026
Is South Plainfield, NJ safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in South Plainfield: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 70% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 909 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
70% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than South Plainfield as a whole, and 30% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Plainfield scores 909.
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 Plainfield, NJ at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Plainfield, 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 Plainfield
Thefts run above the US rate. South Plainfield has less crime than the US as a whole, 30% below the US rate, but more thefts: 17.5 a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen in the morning far more often than nationally. In South Plainfield, 58% of reported thefts from cars happen in the morning (6 am to noon), against 23% nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of South Plainfield
Every part of South Plainfield where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across South Plainfield run from A+ to A-; 95% 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 Plainfield, the southeast side has the least crime and the northwest side the most.
Is crime going up in South Plainfield?
Since 2019, reported property crime in South Plainfield is up 16%, while violent crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults stayed at about 1.2 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 16 to 19 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 27% and property crime rose 10%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
South PlainfieldUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves South Plainfield. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, South Plainfield
Violent, US
Property, South Plainfield
Property, US
2016
+11%
+4%
+4%
+15%
2017
-6%
+4%
+16%
+12%
2018
-23%
+0%
+1%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-8%
+4%
-28%
-8%
2021
+9%
+6%
-35%
-10%
2022
-4%
+5%
-8%
-6%
2023
+28%
+2%
+5%
-7%
2024
-7%
-4%
+16%
-15%
Crime rates and types in South Plainfield
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Plainfield has about 26 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 30% 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.
The largest share of crime reported in South Plainfield is theft, about 67% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
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.
The South Plainfield Police Department counts vandalism differently from the national definition, so CrimeGrade™ makes its own vandalism estimate.
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 Plainfield
South Plainfield has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In South Plainfield, 49% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (49%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Homes (41%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Homes (59%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Aggravated assault
Stores and businesses (33%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How South Plainfield compares with nearby cities
South Plainfield has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from South Plainfield. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, South Plainfield is safer than 53% of them.
Empty homes, jobs and walkability in South Plainfield
Two things set South Plainfield apart: it has 2.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 87 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places with few empty homes tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson; here burglary and vandalism sit near the national middle.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.2.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 94% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.87 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 94% 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. 79% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (20 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 61% of US city residents
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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.15.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 88% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.2.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 82% 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 Plainfield
Crime costs South Plainfield about $619 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 49% 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 $11 million a year, or $457 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$450,000
$18
Rape
$70,000
$3
Robbery
$240,000
$10
Assault
$1.1 million
$45
Burglary
$230,000
$9
Theft
$2.2 million
$90
Vehicle theft
$360,000
$15
Arson
$7,700
under $1
Vandalism
$470,000
$19
Total
$5.2 million
$209
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 Plainfield 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
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 Plainfield, NJ average a SchoolGrade of C+: 43% of students test proficient, against 31% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in South Plainfield on SchoolGrade
