The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in White Oak, MD
White Oak is an unincorporated community of 23,000 in Montgomery County, about 11 miles north of downtown Washington · Updated November 2026
Is White Oak, MD safe?
White Oak has more crime than most of the country: an overall CrimeGrade™ of C+, with more crime than the neighborhoods where 83% of Americans live. Violent crime grades B- and property crime D+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within White Oak run from A to F, so check the map below.
C+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 478 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
17% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than White Oak as a whole, and 83% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. White Oak scores 478.
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 White Oak, MD at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in White Oak, 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 White Oak
Aggravated assaults are less common than in most C-graded cities. White Oak has 1.6 aggravated assaults a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a C-graded US city, the figure is 4.1.
Burglary is a strength. White Oak grades D+ for property crime, but burglary grades A-.
The safest and least safe parts of White Oak
Safety changes a lot from one part of White Oak to the next: 43% of residents live in areas graded A or B, while 57% live in areas graded D or F. Grades across White Oak run from A to F; 3% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
43%57%
A or B 43%D or F 57%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within White Oak, the north side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in White Oak
CrimeGrade™ estimates White Oak has about 44 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 17% more than the US as a whole and close to 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 White Oak, about 47% of everything reported.
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 White Oak compares with nearby cities
White Oak has more crime than 9 of its 10 nearest cities. Colesville and Four Corners have the least crime nearby.
Two things set White Oak apart: it has 1.3% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 3.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report less burglary, vandalism and arson, yet burglary and vandalism run higher here than that would suggest.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.1.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.3.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower 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.C (32 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 83% of US city residents
Show all 6
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 White Oak: D+ (20 of 100).28 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 94% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.14 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 94% of US city residents
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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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 White Oak
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs White Oak about $1,604 a year per household, 33% 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 $37 million a year, or $1,593 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$2.5 million
$109
Rape
$730,000
$32
Robbery
$940,000
$41
Assault
$2.2 million
$96
Burglary
$340,000
$15
Theft
$2.4 million
$106
Vehicle theft
$2.3 million
$101
Arson
$18,000
$1
Vandalism
$720,000
$31
Total
$12 million
$531
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 White Oak 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 White Oak, MD average a SchoolGrade of D: 24% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in White Oak on SchoolGrade
