How to Check Crime Rates by Neighborhood Before You Move
You can check crime data for a neighborhood with federal, city and commercial tools. Knowing what each one shows helps you read the results accurately.
Yes, you can check crime rates by neighborhood, and the right starting point depends on how close you need to look. The FBI's Crime Data Explorer reports on different types of crime nationally or in your state, county, and other areas [1]. That makes it a broad starting point rather than a street-level view. You may also find this useful: Safest Neighborhoods in Spokane, WA: What the Crime Data Shows.
For a closer look, city crime maps can show crime down to the neighborhood. SpotCrime, for example, lets you explore a map or browse by state to find recent crimes near you [2]. Most of these neighborhood safety tools are free, according to SafeWise [3].
This article walks you through each tool, shows how to read the incident counts, and points out where the maps can mislead you before you choose a neighborhood.
What should you know about crime data before you start?
Federal crime data gives you the broadest view, but it is a starting point for a neighborhood search, not the answer. The FBI's Crime Data Explorer reports on different types of crime nationally or in your state or county [1]. Use it to see how your city compares with wider trends before you look at smaller areas.
Why federal numbers stop short of a neighborhood
County totals can hide large differences within a city. A county with a low overall figure may still have blocks where incidents cluster, and a county with a high figure may include quiet suburbs. Treat federal numbers as background for the neighborhoods you are weighing, not as a verdict on any one of them.
City maps show smaller areas
City crime maps are where neighborhood detail begins. SpotCrime is built to help you find crime in your city down to the neighborhood [2]. For a place you are considering, browse the incidents near the streets you would actually drive or walk.
The level of detail depends on the city. Some maps place incidents closely, while others group them into larger areas. Check how a map groups incidents before you compare two places, so you do not set a small-area count against a whole-district total.
Commercial maps can show different pictures
Commercial maps add a second layer, and they do not always agree with each other or with city maps. ADT's interactive crime map says it helps you understand as much as possible about potential crime in your city or local neighborhood [4]. Its view of a particular street can differ from what a city map shows.
When two tools disagree, that tells you something useful. The picture for an area depends on which tool and which time period you use, so one map is rarely enough to decide.
Using the three levels together
Each level does a different job. Federal data gives you the regional backdrop, city maps show incidents close to the neighborhood, and commercial tools give you a second view to compare against. Used together, they give you a fuller picture than any one of them alone.
The next sections walk through the steps for each source.
How do you check crime rates in a neighborhood step by step?
Start with the FBI's Crime Data Explorer for the broad picture, then move to street-level maps for the block you are considering. Work through the four steps in order, so each tool adds detail to the one before.
- Open the FBI Crime Data Explorer and select your state and county. Start at the state and county level, which this tool covers. Use the county view as your baseline before you look at individual streets. [1]
- Open your city's crime map. Use SpotCrime or CityProtect and browse incidents near the neighborhood you are considering. SpotCrime will help you find crime in your city down to the neighborhood. [2] CityProtect is a separate city crime map, so you can run the same search there and compare the results. [5]
Enter the street of the apartment you are considering and read the incidents within a few blocks. Then widen the view one step to see how the surrounding streets compare.
- Create alerts in CrimeMapping.com. Enter the address or area you care about. CrimeMapping.com says you can create multiple alerts that track crime in any area of interest. [6] Alerts then show new reports for that spot over time, so you can compare what you find today with what appears later.
Make sure the alert covers the block you are considering, not the whole city.
- Compare the same area on ADT and LexisNexis. ADT's interactive crime map helps you understand as much as possible about potential crime in your city or local neighborhood. [4] The LexisNexis Community Crime Map offers a similar search at communitycrimemap.com. [7]
Run the same address in each tool. If one map shows a cluster of incidents that the others do not, note which dates and area that tool covers before you rely on it. A neighborhood that looks quiet on one map but busy on another needs a closer look at both. Results that agree across several tools give you a firmer basis for the next step in your search.
What mistakes make neighborhood crime maps misleading?
The biggest mistake is judging a neighborhood from one map. Each tool draws on its own data and displays it its own way, so one map gives you one view, not the whole picture.
The ADT interactive crime map is designed to help you understand as much as possible about potential crime in your city or local neighborhood. [4] That goal is useful, but the map still shows only what that one tool displays. Open at least two tools for the same area, and note where they agree and where they differ.
Reading a list of incidents as a rate
A map full of dots is a count, not a rate. A rate divides incidents by population, so you need both numbers before you can compare two areas fairly.
The time period matters too. A map showing a short recent window can look calm or alarming next to one covering several years. Compare only maps that cover the same dates, or the comparison measures the calendar rather than the neighborhood.
Using one statistic to pick a winner
Calling one area the safest based on a single number skips most of what matters. A crime count says nothing about traffic, noise, or how a street feels at night. Some tools also show safety initiatives nearby, which adds context that a count cannot provide. [3]
Consider two neighborhoods. Neighborhood A has fewer reports, but its map covers fewer residents and a smaller area. Neighborhood B has more reports but a much larger population, so its rate may be lower. Without population and dates, the raw numbers settle nothing.
Use the map to ask better questions, not to end the search. Results can differ between tools, and a map cannot show what a block looks like on a weekday evening, so visit both neighborhoods at different times before you decide.
What should you do with the crime results?
Treat crime data as one input for your decision, not the verdict. Write down which tools you used, the area each one covers and the dates it shows, because a map of a few blocks from last year says little about a whole neighborhood. Then compare the neighborhood with nearby areas and with city or county figures. The FBI's Crime Data Explorer reports crime nationally and by state and county, which gives you a baseline [1]. For a closer look, read Safest Neighborhoods in Albany, NY: How to Compare Crime Data.
Next, weigh the crime picture against housing costs, commuting time and local services such as schools, parks and stores. A lower-crime area that adds an hour to your daily commute may be a worse fit than a slightly higher-crime area near your job. Most of these neighborhood safety tools are free, so you can run this comparison before you commit [3].