How Safe Is Baltimore?

There are a lot of good reasons to move to Baltimore. The city is experiencing an uptick in interest given its convenient, mid-Atlantic location, temperate climate, and civic-driven efforts to reinvent itself from a stodgy port-city to a tech and innovation center. Forbes rated it as a ‘Best Place for Business and Careers’ in 2019. 

Baltimore is an American colonial city with 72 historic districts, and more homes on the National Register than any other city. If this sounds like a city stuck in the past, think again. The city is committed to changing its image, particularly when it comes to crime. 

Baltimore has taken a hit lately when it comes to publicity about crime. Like cities across the country, it has earned unwanted headlines with horrific homicides. The city ranks in the ‘top 10 most dangerous cities by popular ‘ranking’ websites like Forbes, WalletHub and US News. Does this mean all of the city is dangerous? Of course not. So let’s have a balanced discussion about crime in the city, and highlight some of Baltimore’s safer neighborhoods.

By the way of introduction, we’re Bellhop—movers in Baltimore and beyond). We’re committed to providing useful and candid information regarding each city that our customers are considering for their next move.  

One Good Reason to Move to Baltimore 

What’s one good reason to consider moving there? Home ownership is cheap. Zillow pegs an average home price at $179,000 mid-2023, compared to $400,000+ for the state and $349,000 for the United States. If you can work from anywhere and want a city with history, culture and recreation nearby, Baltimore may check all the boxes. 

How Safe Do You Feel in Baltimore City? 

‘Safety’ is often a perception driven by news, online communities and personal experience. The website Niche.com rates states, cities and neighborhood on ‘safety’ as well as other metrics.  Overall, the city (in comparison to others nationwide) receives a D- rating. 

A small (non-statistically significant) sample poll of 94 residents noted an ‘average’ sense of safety: 

Very safe. There are no safety concerns	6%
Pretty safe. There are some safety concerns, but I generally feel safe.	41%
Somewhat safe. There are noticeable safety concerns, and there are times I don’t feel safe.	37%
Not safe. There are high safety concerns, and I regularly don’t feel safe.	15%

Crime in Baltimore, the Naked Truth 

Before we start. The city of Baltimore is surrounded by Baltimore County that includes many smaller towns (Towson for example). Both track crime separately. In this article we will focus on solely on the city of Baltimore. 

The city has responded to national headlines and crime rates with a commitment to better policing and transparency. In July 2021, the city created The Baltimore City Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan with an interactive new Public Safety Accountability Dashboard.  This provides the public with details on crime incidents in summary and by neighborhood. 

Historically crime rates in Baltimore from 2010 to 2019 ranged between 64 to 71 crimes per 1,000 citizens. During the Covid years (2020 and 2021) crime dropped to 50 per 1,000. View. 

Overall, for 2022-2023 crime in Baltimore in some categories improved, i.e. dropped. 

Homicide Rates in Baltimore

Murders are down 17% in Baltimore in 2023 versus 2022. In 2022 WalletHub ranked the city 2nd in its list of 40 ‘Cities with the Biggest Homicide Rate Problems.’ In 2023 it did not even make the list, while popular cities like Austin, Seattle and Colorado Springs did.

Violent Crime in Baltimore

This includes robbery, carjacking, assault and rape. Violent crimes are down across all categories 5.5%. Robbery and carjacking are down 21%.

Property Crime in Baltimore

Crimes against property remain a problem, increasing 47% in 2023. This includes burglary (down 7%), larceny, e.g., shoplifting, auto theft, and arson (up 19%). While property crimes dropped drastically during Covid, the rate has increased to pre-2020 levels in 2023.

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in Baltimore 

With the interactive dashboard one can search any of the ninety-one neighborhoods and find current crime data (year to date). In 2023 the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance published its tally of crime by neighborhoods, ranking them on violent and property crime for 2021. 

The CSAs (Community Statistical Areas) in 2021 with the highest violent crime rates per 1,000 residents were:  

Downtown/Seton Hill (53.8 incidents per 1,000 residents) – Zillow shows a current home value of $221,000 for this zip code. 

Southwest Baltimore (38.1 incidents per 1,000 residents)  

Clifton-Berea (37.0 incidents per 1,000 residents) – Zillow shows a current home value of $109,000 for the Berea neighborhood. 

Pigtown / Carroll Park (36.2 incidents per 1,000 residents) – Zillow shows a current range of home values of $230,00 to $53,000 for the large Pigtown neighborhood. Homes in the lower-value area have dropped 13% in  

Madison / East End (34.3 incidents per 1,000 residents) – Homes with the Madison zip code average $116,000. 

Safest Neighborhoods in Baltimore 

Several neighborhoods in Baltimore had very low violent crime rates. Nearly all are located in the northern part of Baltimore City:  

Greater Roland Park / Poplar Hill (2.1 incidents per 1,000 residents) 

Cross Country / Cheswolde (2.5 incidents per 1,000 residents) 

North Baltimore / Guilford / Homeland (2.6 incidents per 1,000 residents) 

 Mount Washington / Coldspring (2.9 incidents per 1,000 residents).  

Home Values in the Safest Neighborhoods in Baltimore 

Greater Roland Park / Poplar Hill 

Average home value in mid-2023 in the popular Rolland Park area is $624,000. Condos average $225,000. Roland Park was the first planned suburb community in the United States and offers stately homes. 

Cross Country / Cheswolde 

Zillow rates the price of a single-family home at $420,000. Condos average $243,000. 

North Baltimore / Guilford / Homeland 

The Homeland zip code shows on Zillow an average home value of $330,000. Condos average $208,000 in mid 2023. 

Mount Washington / Coldspring 

Homes in this popular residential area average $480,000. Condos clock in at $243,000. 

Safest Neighborhoods for Families in Baltimore 

Want to view more neighborhoods? Got children? Bellhop has your  back with a special view of family-friendly neighborhoods in Baltimore. We’ve also put together a moving guide to Baltimore with lots of useful info about the city.  

When You are Ready for the Big Move, Use Bellhop 

At Bellhop, there’s nothing we want more than for our customers to have a smooth move. If Baltimore is the right move for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to the professionals at Bellhops. We coordinate local moves in Baltimore and offer long-distance moving services in Baltimore, and we would love to help.