The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Portland, ME: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	A+
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	C

Which crimes are included?

$9.16 million

Cost of Crime™ for South Portland, ME

In 2025, crime will cost $728 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of South Portland with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is South Portland, ME Safe?

The C overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where South Portland's combined rate is about the same as the norm. South Portland sits in the 46th percentile, ahead of 46% of cities and behind 54%. The grade covers only South Portland's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in South Portland is 25.37 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the south part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 23 in the north neighborhoods to 1 in 59 in the south.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the northeast parts of South Portland, ME report the most crime, about 142 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 9 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in South Portland, ME

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in South Portland for 2025 is $9,160,692, about $333 per resident and $728 per household. That equals 0.7% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 57.5%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 31.1%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.4%

How Much Does Crime Cost in South Portland Compared to Other Cities?

South Portland, ME:	$333
Portland, OR:	$544
Eliot, ME:	$116
Maine:	$258
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in South Portland is $333 per year, which is $131 less than the national average and $76 more than Maine's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to South Portland:

In Portland, OR, crime costs $544 per person, which is $211 more than in South Portland.
In Eliot, ME, crime costs $116 per person, which is $218 less than in South Portland

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of South Portland for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to South Portland	Cost per South Portland Resident
Murder	$3.02 million	$110
Rape/Sexual Assault	$1.07 million	$39
Robbery	$74,159	$3
Assault	$484,308	$18
Kidnapping	$12,474	$0
Vehicle Theft	$597,996	$22
Burglary	$313,676	$11
Theft	$1.81 million	$66
Arson	$98,113	$4
Vandalism	$996,347	$36
Animal Cruelty	$8,651	$0
Drug Crimes	$661,896	$24
Identity Theft	$11,566	$0
Total Cost of Crime	$9,160,692	$333

The Intangible Cost of Crime in South Portland, ME

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in South Portland totals $25,265,698 ($919 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $34,426,390 ($1,253 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The west part of the city holds more retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports, of which South Portland has 1, draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which South Portland has 9, do the same, and of South Portland's 27,478 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in South Portland, ME at ISP Reports.

South Portland Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 South Portland residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	0.6137
Robbery	0.0858
Rape	0.6407
Murder	0.0586
Total Violent Crime	1.399 (A+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	12.72
Vehicle Theft	1.405
Burglary	1.259
Arson	0.1479
Total Property Crime	15.53 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0075
Drug Crimes	3.256
Vandalism	5.076
Identity Theft	0.0544
Animal Cruelty	0.0426
Total "Other" Rate	8.436 (C)

Individual South Portland Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in South Portland is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to South Portland.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Cape Elizabeth, ME	A	A+	A
Portland, ME	D+	A-	D
Cash Corner, ME	A	A+	A-
Peaks Island, ME	D+	A-	D+
Scarborough, ME	A-	A+	B
Westbrook, ME	B-	A+	C
Long Island, ME	D+	A-	C-
Falmouth, ME	B+	A+	B-
Cliff Island, ME	D+	A-	C-
Cumberland Foreside, ME	A	A+	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

South Portland is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Fremont, OH	C	C-	C-
Tarpon Springs, FL	A-	B	B
Tahlequah, OK	D	D	D
Stoughton, MA	B	C+	C+
Sachse, TX	C	C+	C+
Royse City, TX	B-	C	C
Ravenna, OH	C-	C+	C+
Ramsey, MN	B+	A	A
Hazelwood, MO	F	F	F
Harvest, AL	A-	A+	A+

Considering only the crime rate, South Portland is less safe than the Maine state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in South Portland, ME average SchoolGrade of A+, with 82% actual proficiency versus 66% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See South Portland schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.