The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Maryland

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Maryland For 2024

Ocean City coming in as the most dangerous place to live in Maryland for 2024 might surprise tourists who come in droves every summer to enjoy the beach and boardwalk.

In fact, Ocean City can safely blame the eight million vacationers who flock to the town annually for the ridiculously high “crime per capita.” Still, Ocean City had the highest property crime rate in Maryland by a substantial margin, with residents facing a 1 in 9 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged.

Violent crime isn’t much better, with 129 cases recorded in 2022. Maybe if Ocean City didn’t have such great things to do, criminals activity would fall off.

Located on the northeastern shore of Maryland, Elkton is known as “The Elopement Capital of the East Coast.” It turns out that hasty marriages aren’t the only bad decisions going down in Elkton, though, seeing as the town has the second highest crime rate in the state.

You’ll want to make sure nobody steals your produce after a trip to the farmer’s market, because Elkton experienced 671 larcenies in 2022. Also, lock your car doors here because there was about one car theft per week in Elkton on average.

It’s not just property crime in Elkton, either, considering the town also had the fifth highest violent crime rate in Maryland.

Cambridge is a city of 12,264 on the Chesapeake Bay that ranks as Maryland’s third most dangerous city overall.

Cambridge had the third highest rate of rape cases in the state in 2022, averaging just under one a month. The city also had 2 murders and the fourth highest violent crime rate overall.

And while you can enjoy a pleasant stroll down Cambridge’s mile-long boardwalk, you’d be well-advised to keep an eye on your wallet, seeing as the city had the fourth highest property crime rate statewide.

Ah, Baltimore, the city you were probably expecting to top this list. Well, in terms of violent crime, you’d be right. After all, you don’t earn a nickname like Bodymore, Murderland for nothing.

Baltimore had 287 murders in 2022, giving the city the highest murder rate in Maryland. To be fair, though, Baltimore is a big place with plenty of safe neighborhoods.

But even in a place like the Inner Harbor, you’ll want to watch your belongings, seeing as Baltimore had 18,699 property crimes in 2022.

That includes more than ten car thefts per day, on average.

Cumberland is known for being the end point of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile bike trail that goes all the way to Pittsburgh.

Which means you can easily cycle far away from the high crime rates that plague Cumberland. Residents faced a 1 in 29 chance of being the victim of a property crime in 2022, which includes the fourth highest burglary rate.

The Cumberland Metro area is among the country’s poorest in terms of per capita income, which may explain why locals feel the need to resort to crime.

The largest city in Maryland’s Eastern Shore region, Salisbury comes in as the state’s sixth most dangerous place to call home.

On average, Salisbury had a violent crime six out of seven days of the week over 2022. The city also had the tenth highest rate of rape cases in the state.

There were also 130 burglaries in Salisbury over the year and 684 larcenies. That’s a lot of homes broken into and pockets picked for a city of just 33,063.

Mount Rainier, located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, ranks as the seventh most dangerous place to live in the state for 2024. With a population of 8,112, this small city experienced 46 incidents of violent crime, including 2 rapes and 29 robberies. The property crime rate is also concerning, with 226 reported cases, including 18 burglaries.

Located just six miles east of Washington DC , Hyattsville is the least violent of the DC suburbs and the least violent place on this list overall.

Don’t get us wrong; you still shouldn’t stay out late at one of Hyattsville parks all by yourself, considering the city had the fourth highest murder rate in Maryland.

Not to mention that Hyattsville residents had a 1 in 20 shot of being the victim of a property crime in 2022.

Bladensburg is located just south of Hyattsville, and while it’s more violent than its northern neighbor, there’s less crime here overall. Still, Bladensburg had 3 murders recorded in 2022.

That might not sound like a lot, but for a city of 9,476, that’s enough for the second highest murder rate statewide. And good enough reason not to linger at Waterfront Park once the sun goes down.

With residents facing a 1 in 185 chance of being the victim of violence, Bladensburg is one of DC’s most violent suburbs.

The county seat of Charles County, La Plata is the only place on this list that wasn’t on it last year. And there are other encouraging signs, like having no murders or rapes in 2022. Overall, the town averaged just under one violent crime per week.

Still, residents had a 1 in 36 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged, which isn’t great. And if you don’t want to join the 227 larceny victims La Plata had in 2022, watch your valuables while you’re out at Port Tobacco River Park.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Maryland FAQs