Towson is an unincorporated community of 61,800 in Baltimore County, about 7 miles north of downtown Baltimore · Updated November 2026
How common is violent crime in Towson?
Violent crime in Towson sits near the national middle: an A-, with more violent crime than the neighborhoods where 57% of Americans live. Assaults make up 91% of it, and most of those are simple assaults, which involve no weapon and no serious injury.
A-
Violent crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 830 of 1,000About as much violent crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
43% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more violent crime than Towson as a whole, and 57% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a violent crime safety score of 860, a CrimeGrade™ of A. Towson scores 830.
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 violent crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its violent crime with the people who spend time there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy downtown or nightlife strip can show red while the homes around it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a solid 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 about violent crime in Towson
Robberies run high for a city with an A for violent crime. Towson has 0.89 robberies a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of a US city graded A for violent crime, the figure is 0.14.
Where violent crime is lowest and highest in Towson
Low violent crime is the norm across Towson: 96% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Violent crime grades across Towson run from A+ to C-.
96%
A or B 96%C 4%
Share of residents, by the violent crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Orchard Hills, Thornleigh & Chestnut Hill, northwestSimple assaults run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Towson.A893
2Chatterleigh & Cromwell Valley, northeastSimple assaults run about 30% lower here than in the rest of Towson.A888
3Rodgers Forge, southwestClose to the rest of Towson on most crimes.A868
4Towson Park & Stoneridge, northRobberies run at about half the rate in the rest of Towson.A-825
5Loch Raven Manor, eastRobberies run at more than double the rate in the rest of Towson.B+713
6Glenmont & Idlewylde, southeastAggravated assaults run at about double the rate in the rest of Towson.C+521
Neighborhood areas of Towson, ranked by violent crime 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.
Violent crime rates and types in Towson
CrimeGrade™ estimates Towson has about 16 reported violent crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% more than the US as a whole and 20% more than Maryland.
All violent crime
Assaults
Robbery
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Violent crime here includes simple assaults, which the FBI's violent crime rate leaves out.
Assault is the most common violent crime in Towson, about 91% of the total.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a violent crime with the people who spend time in an area, not only the people who live there. 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.
Violent crime in Towson and nearby cities
Towson has less violent crime than 5 of its 10 nearest cities.
Among the traits that tend to go with violent crime, two 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 robbery than places with only one of them, and it runs high here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more 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 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 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 4
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.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 violent crime costs Towson
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, violent crime costs Towson about $59 million a year, or $956 per resident. The costs that reach a bill, such as medical care, lost work and the justice system, come to about $16 million, or $254 per resident.
Billed cost of violent crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering are about 73% of that full cost.
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
Total
$16 million
$254
How CrimeGrade™ works
The violent crime CrimeGrade™ covers murder, rape, robbery and assault, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each violent crime against the people who spend time in an area, so a busy downtown is graded on its workers and visitors as well as its residents.
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.
