The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Tennessee: Crime Maps and Statistics

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	D-
Property Crime Grade	D
Other Crime Grade	D

Which crimes are included?

$5.0 billion

Cost of Crime™ for Tennessee

In 2025, crime will cost $1,762 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Tennessee 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 Tennessee Safe?

The D overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where Tennessee's combined rate is higher than the norm. Tennessee sits in the 16th percentile, ahead of 16% of states and behind 84%. The grade covers only Tennessee's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in Tennessee is 43.77 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 14 in the southwest cities to 1 in 32 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the southwest parts of Tennessee report the most crime, about 91,987 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 8,323 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Tennessee

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Tennessee for 2025 is $4,989,004,270, about $694 per resident and $1,762 per household. That equals 1.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 34.6%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.6%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Tennessee Compared to Other States?

Tennessee:	$694
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Tennessee is $694 per year, which is $229 more than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to Tennessee:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $141 more than in Tennessee.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $454 less than in Tennessee

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to Tennessee	Cost per Tennessee Resident
Murder	$1.4 billion	$192
Rape/Sexual Assault	$317.3 million	$44
Robbery	$153.7 million	$21
Assault	$1.0 billion	$145
Kidnapping	$125.3 million	$17
Vehicle Theft	$418.2 million	$58
Burglary	$205.2 million	$29
Theft	$594.5 million	$83
Arson	$22.2 million	$3
Vandalism	$332.5 million	$46
Animal Cruelty	$4.89 million	$1
Drug Crimes	$388.2 million	$54
Identity Theft	$4.40 million	$1
Total Cost of Crime	$4,989,004,270	$694

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Tennessee

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 Tennessee totals $10,985,391,013 ($1,527 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $15,974,395,283 ($2,221 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 southwest part of the state 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 Tennessee has 1, draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Tennessee has 980, do the same, and of Tennessee's 7,193,634 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 Tennessee at ISP Reports.

Tennessee 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 Tennessee residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	5.057
Robbery	0.6794
Rape	0.7274
Murder	0.1019
Total Violent Crime	6.566 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	15.96
Vehicle Theft	3.754
Burglary	3.144
Arson	0.1277
Total Property Crime	22.98 (D)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.2874
Drug Crimes	7.295
Vandalism	6.470
Identity Theft	0.0790
Animal Cruelty	0.0919
Total "Other" Rate	14.22 (D)

Individual Tennessee Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

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

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Kentucky	B-	A-	B
Alabama	C+	C+	B
Georgia	B-	C+	B
Mississippi	A+	A+	A+
Indiana	A-	B-	B+
South Carolina	D-	D	D
West Virginia	A-	B+	A
North Carolina	C-	C-	C-
Arkansas	D-	D-	D-
Illinois	B	B+	B+

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

Tennessee is higher versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Pennsylvania	A	A-	A-
Missouri	D	D	D
Montana	C-	D+	D+
Nebraska	C+	B+	B+
Nevada	D	D	D
New Hampshire	A	A+	A+
New Mexico	F	F	F
New York	A-	C	C
North Carolina	C-	C-	C-
North Dakota	C-	B-	B-

Considering only the crime rate, Tennessee is as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Tennessee average SchoolGrade of C, with 36% actual proficiency versus 35% projected; overall, schools meet expectations. See Tennessee 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.