The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in West Ocean City, MD: Crime Maps and Statistics

D-

Overall Crime Grade™

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

Which crimes are included?

$2.13 million

Cost of Crime™ for West Ocean City, MD

In 2025, crime will cost $1,141 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of West Ocean City 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 West Ocean City, MD Safe?

The D- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where West Ocean City's combined rate is much higher than the norm. West Ocean City sits in the 10th percentile, ahead of 10% of cities and behind 90%. The grade covers only West Ocean City's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in West Ocean City is 48.99 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 12 in the southeast neighborhoods to 1 in 40 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the south parts of West Ocean City, MD report the most crime, about 44 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 4 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in West Ocean City, MD

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in West Ocean City for 2025 is $2,132,740, about $491 per resident and $1,141 per household. That equals 0.6% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 67.0%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 21.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in West Ocean City Compared to Other Cities?

West Ocean City, MD:	$491
Seat Pleasant, MD:	$1315
Cape St. Claire, MD:	$184
Maryland:	$531
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in West Ocean City is $491 per year, which is $26 more than the national average and $41 less than Maryland's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to West Ocean City:

In Seat Pleasant, MD, crime costs $1,315 per person, which is $825 more than in West Ocean City.
In Cape St. Claire, MD, crime costs $184 per person, which is $306 less than in West Ocean City

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

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

Crime	Cost to West Ocean City	Cost per West Ocean City Resident
Murder	$61,616	$14
Rape/Sexual Assault	$158,910	$37
Robbery	$146,210	$34
Assault	$489,800	$113
Kidnapping	$7,305	$2
Vehicle Theft	$77,942	$18
Burglary	$156,551	$36
Theft	$476,621	$110
Arson	$21,683	$5
Vandalism	$257,068	$59
Animal Cruelty	$5,571	$1
Drug Crimes	$205,670	$47
Identity Theft	$67,794	$16
Total Cost of Crime	$2,132,740	$491

The Intangible Cost of Crime in West Ocean City, MD

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 West Ocean City totals $1,387,073 ($319 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $3,519,813 ($810 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 central 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 draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which West Ocean City has 1, do the same, and of West Ocean City's 4,348 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 West Ocean City, MD at ISP Reports.

West Ocean City 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 West Ocean City residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	3.922
Robbery	1.069
Rape	0.6028
Murder	0.0075
Total Violent Crime	5.602 (D-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	21.17
Vehicle Theft	1.158
Burglary	3.970
Arson	0.2065
Total Property Crime	26.50 (D-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.0277
Drug Crimes	6.395
Vandalism	8.276
Identity Theft	2.014
Animal Cruelty	0.1732
Total "Other" Rate	16.89 (D-)

Individual West Ocean City Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

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

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Snug Harbor, MD	C-	A	C
Ocean Pines, MD	A-	B-	A+
Grays Corner, MD	B-	C	A-
Ocean City, MD	F	F	F
Berlin, MD	C	C-	B-
Showell, MD	B-	D+	A
Golf Club Shores, MD	C-	D-	C+
Bishopville, MD	B-	C	B+
Fenwick Island, DE	F	F	F
Selbyville, DE	C+	B-	B

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

West Ocean City is higher 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
Atlantis, FL	B-	C+	C+
Wolcott, NY	B-	D	D
South Deerfield, MA	B+	B-	B-
Park Falls, WI	C-	C+	C+
Minford, OH	B+	B+	B+
Gibsonburg, OH	B+	D	D
Dewey-Humboldt, AZ	B+	B	B
Clarksville, OH	A	A-	A-
Clyde, NY	A-	D+	D+
Chatham, NY	C+	C+	C+

Considering only the crime rate, West Ocean City is less safe than the Maryland state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in West Ocean City, MD average SchoolGrade of B+, with 52% actual proficiency versus 46% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See West Ocean City 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.