The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Towson, MD
Towson is an unincorporated community of 61,800 in Baltimore County, about 7 miles north of downtown Baltimore · Updated November 2026
Is Towson, MD safe?
Crime in Towson is moderate, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+. Most US neighborhoods have little crime: 62% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than Towson. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A- against B. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Towson run from A+ to D+, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 764 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
38% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Towson as a whole, and 62% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Towson scores 764.
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 Towson, MD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Towson, 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 Towson
One part of Towson stands out for theft. Thefts in Glenmont & Idlewylde, in southeast Towson, run at more than triple the rate in the rest of the city.
Burglaries are less common than the crime level suggests. Crime overall in Towson runs 50% above the US rate, but burglaries run 26% below it: 1.7 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 nationally.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Towson
Low crime is the norm across Towson: 88% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 6% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Towson run from A+ to D+; 27% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
88%
A or B 88%C 6%D or F 6%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Chatterleigh & Cromwell Valley, northeastCar thefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Towson.A855
2Orchard Hills, Thornleigh & Chestnut Hill, northwestCar thefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Towson.A850
3Rodgers Forge, southwestActs of vandalism run at about half the rate in the rest of Towson.A-806
4Towson Park & Stoneridge, northRobberies run at about half the rate in the rest of Towson.B+727
5Loch Raven Manor, eastThefts run at more than double the rate in the rest of Towson.B-588
6Glenmont & Idlewylde, southeastCar thefts run at more than double the rate in the rest of Towson.C421
Neighborhood areas of Towson, 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.
Crime rates and types in Towson
CrimeGrade™ estimates Towson has about 56 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 50% more than the US as a whole and 35% more 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Towson, about 45% of everything reported, but assault costs more, because each one does more harm.
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.
How Towson compares with nearby cities
Towson has less crime than 5 of its 10 nearest cities.
Two things set Towson apart: it has 92 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 14 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places with both tend to report more theft and robbery than places with only one of them, and they run high here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.92 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 95% 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 Towson: C- (26 of 100).14 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 89% 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. 66% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.C- (29 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 80% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.14.3 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 84% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.9 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 79% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.42% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 78% of US city residents
BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Towson 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 Towson
Crime costs Towson about $1,337 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 11% more 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 $75 million a year, or $1,220 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$2.2 million
$36
Rape
$2.1 million
$34
Robbery
$1.7 million
$28
Assault
$9.7 million
$157
Burglary
$970,000
$16
Theft
$7.9 million
$128
Vehicle theft
$3.0 million
$49
Arson
$160,000
$3
Vandalism
$4.1 million
$66
Total
$32 million
$516
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 Towson 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 Towson, MD average a SchoolGrade of B-: 41% of students test proficient, against 38% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Towson on SchoolGrade
