The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Talbot County, MD

Talbot County is home to 37,900 residents and includes Easton and Trappe · Updated November 2026

Is Talbot County, MD safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Talbot County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 70% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Talbot County run from A+ to B-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 909 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

70% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Talbot County as a whole, and 30% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Talbot County 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.

A
Violent crimeSafety score 901 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 922 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Talbot County

Map of Talbot County shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Talbot County, MD at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Talbot County, 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 Talbot County

Car thefts are uncommon. Talbot County has car thefts at less than half the US rate: 1.1 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.


The safest and most dangerous places in Talbot County

Every part of Talbot County where people live grades A or B on the national scale. Grades across Talbot County run from A+ to B-; 76% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Least crime

  1. 1Cordova1,580A+954
  2. 2Oxford1,300A+947

Most crime

  1. 1Easton22,200A858
  2. 2St. Michaels3,660A909

Cities and towns in Talbot County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.

Across the county, the southwest side has the least crime and the Easton area the most.


Is crime going up in Talbot County?

Since 2019, reported violent crime in Talbot County is up 20%, while property crime has held about steady. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.0 to 2.4 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts stayed at about 13 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 10%.

Violent crime, change since 2019

Property crime, change since 2019

Talbot CountyUnited States

Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Talbot County. The charts follow crimes per resident.

Data table
YearViolent, Talbot CountyViolent, USProperty, Talbot CountyProperty, US
2016+11%+4%+50%+15%
2017-25%+4%+45%+12%
2018-8%+0%+26%+4%
2019+0%+0%+0%+0%
2020+47%+4%-20%-8%
2021+59%+6%-6%-10%
2022-6%+5%-4%-6%
2023+34%+2%+7%-7%
2024+20%-4%+2%-15%

Crime rates and types in Talbot County

CrimeGrade™ estimates Talbot County has about 31 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 16% 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.

Assault is the most common crime in Talbot County, about 43% of everything reported, and it also accounts for the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+10.030.05
RapeA140.360.38
RobberyA140.360.62
AssaultA-51513.612.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+551.52.4
TheftA38410.113.1
Vehicle theftA+401.12.7
ArsonA+30.090.12
VandalismA1584.25.5

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 Talbot County

These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Talbot County, 2022 to 2024.

In Talbot County, 71% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 31% of them, against 34% nationally.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
BurglaryHomes (71%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theftHomes (49%)Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from carsHomes (31%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
VandalismHomes (48%)Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Aggravated assaultHomes (50%)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 Talbot County compares with nearby counties

Talbot County has less crime than 6 of its 10 nearest counties.

Nearby counties

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Talbot CountyA909AA37,900
Dorchester County 14 milesA860AA32,800
Caroline County 16 milesA+926AA+33,700
Queen Anne's County 18 milesA+947A+A+51,800
Kent County, DE 38 milesB+742B+A-187,600
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Calvert County 28 milesA+924AA+94,300
Kent County 33 milesA913AA+19,300
Anne Arundel County 34 milesA-792A-B+598,200
Wicomico County 39 milesA-832A-A104,900
St. Mary's County 41 milesA871AA115,100
Sussex County, DE 42 milesA-838A-A255,600

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Talbot County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with counties of similar size and density, Talbot County has more crime than 79% of them.

Counties of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Talbot CountyA909AA37,900
Hopkins County, TXA+967A+A+37,800
Brown County, SDA+963A+A+37,900
Jasper County, IAA+958A+A+38,000
Macon County, NCA+945A+A+37,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Orange County, VAA+941A+A+37,800
Clinton County, PAA+938A+A+37,800
Warren County, PAA921AA37,900
Dare County, NCA891AA37,900
Union County, ARA887AA37,900
Scott County, MOA850A-A37,900

Shops, transit and walkability in Talbot County

Two things set Talbot County apart: it has 19.1 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 50% of the land where people live lit at night, against 78% nationally. Places with many stores and restaurants 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.19.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 99% of Americans
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 Talbot County: F (2 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
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. 85% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (13 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 69% of Americans
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.50% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 84% of Americans
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.4% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 81% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.9.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 81% of Americans

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Talbot County on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Talbot County

Crime costs Talbot County about $820 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 32% 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 $42 million a year, or $1,120 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$2.4 million$63
Rape$820,000$22
Robbery$420,000$11
Assault$5.4 million$144
Burglary$500,000$13
Theft$2.0 million$52
Vehicle theft$620,000$16
Arson$79,000$2
Vandalism$1.1 million$30
Total$13 million$353

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 Talbot County 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Talbot County

Schools in Talbot County, MD average a SchoolGrade of C+: 36% of students test proficient, against 39% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Talbot County on SchoolGrade