The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in South Portland, ME
South Portland is the fourth-largest city in Maine, with 27,100 residents in Cumberland County, next to Portland · Updated November 2026
Is South Portland, ME safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in South Portland: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% 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 and the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 933 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than South Portland as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. South Portland scores 933.
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 Portland, ME at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in South Portland, 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 Portland
Burglaries and car thefts both run low. In South Portland, each runs at less than half the US rate: 0.82 burglaries and 1.1 car thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 and 2.7 nationally.
Thefts from cars happen in the morning far more often than nationally. In South Portland, 49% of reported thefts from cars happen in the morning (6 am to noon), against 23% nationally.
How neighborhoods in South Portland compare
Every part of South Portland where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across South Portland run from A+ to A; every part of South Portland has 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.
1Broadview Park, southClose to the rest of South Portland on most crimes.A+951
2Thornton Heights & Sunset Park, southwestClose to the rest of South Portland on most crimes.A+937
3Ferry Village & Fort Preble, northeastActs of vandalism run about 30% lower here than in the rest of South Portland.A+931
4Stanwood Park, eastThefts run about 50% higher here than in the rest of South Portland.A+929
5Knightville-Pleasantdale, centralClose to the rest of South Portland on most crimes.A915
Neighborhood areas of South Portland, ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is crime going up in South Portland?
Reported property crime in South Portland has fallen 38% since 2019. Too few violent crimes are reported here each year for a reliable violent crime trend. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 22 to 14 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime rose 15%.
Property crime, change since 2019
South PortlandUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves South Portland. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, South Portland
Property, US
2016
+6%
+15%
2017
+3%
+12%
2018
-19%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-32%
-8%
2021
-40%
-10%
2022
-16%
-6%
2023
-46%
-7%
2024
-38%
-15%
Crime rates and types in South Portland
CrimeGrade™ estimates South Portland has about 21 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 43% less than the US as a whole and close to Maine.
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 Portland, about 55% of everything reported, and it also accounts for 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.
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 Portland
South Portland has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In South Portland, 29% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Stores and businesses (48%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (37%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Homes (40%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Homes (30%)
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 Portland compares with nearby cities
South Portland has more crime than 4 of its 6 nearest cities. Cumberland Foreside and Cape Elizabeth have the least crime nearby.
Two things set South Portland apart: it has 24.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 97 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.24.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 98% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.97 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 96% 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. 76% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (23 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 68% 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.3.6 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 91% 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.4.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 72% 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 Portland: C- (27 of 100).3 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 61% 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 Portland
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs South Portland about $418 a year per household, 65% 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 $412 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$620,000
$23
Rape
$190,000
$7
Robbery
$150,000
$5
Assault
$990,000
$36
Burglary
$200,000
$7
Theft
$1.6 million
$60
Vehicle theft
$470,000
$17
Arson
$75,000
$3
Vandalism
$610,000
$23
Total
$4.9 million
$182
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 Portland 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 Portland, ME average a SchoolGrade of C: 81% of students test proficient, against 74% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in South Portland on SchoolGrade
