Elizabethton, TN Crime Map

What the Last 90 Days of Crime Data Tell Us About Elizabethton

Elizabethton earns an overall crime grade of A- — a strong mark for a Tennessee city of its size. To understand what that grade means on the ground, it helps to look at the 80 incidents recorded in the most recent 90-day window and break down exactly what happened.

The single largest category is "Other" incidents at 54% (43 reports). This catch-all classification typically covers minor disturbances, suspicious activity calls, and non-criminal service responses — not the kind of activity that signals a dangerous community. Strip those out and the remaining 37 incidents across all crime categories paint a picture of a small city with manageable, low-frequency crime.

Theft leads the traditional crime categories at 18% (14 incidents), the most recent logged on March 3, 2026. Opportunistic theft — unsecured items in vehicles, unlocked sheds, retail shoplifting — is the most common property crime pattern in communities like Elizabethton, and 14 incidents across 90 days across the entire city is a relatively low count for a population of 13,568.

Vandalism accounted for 9% of reports (7 incidents), with the latest occurring March 2, 2026. Vandalism clusters tend to follow recreational corridors and transitional commercial zones rather than residential neighborhoods, so homeowners in quieter parts of the city are generally less exposed to this category.

Assault and burglary each represented 8% of incidents (6 each). Six assaults over 90 days city-wide is a low absolute count, though any violent incident deserves attention. The six burglary reports reinforce the importance of basic home-security habits — locked doors, exterior lighting, and awareness of who is in your immediate neighborhood.

Arrests totaled just 3 (4%), and there was 1 shooting incident (1%), recorded February 26, 2026. A single shooting in a 90-day period is consistent with Elizabethton's A- grade and reflects the relative rarity of gun violence in the city compared to urban Tennessee metros.

Understanding Elizabethton's A- Crime Grade in Context

Letter grades on doorprofit.com are calculated by comparing a city's crime frequency and severity against national benchmarks, then adjusting for population size. An A- means Elizabethton performs meaningfully better than the national average across both property and violent crime categories. For a city with a 23.2% poverty rate and a median household income of $38,007 — economic pressures that correlate with higher crime in many communities — this grade is a genuine positive signal about community cohesion and local law enforcement effectiveness.

The city's relatively low population density of 548 residents per square mile also plays a role. Lower density generally means fewer anonymous interactions and stronger neighbor-to-neighbor familiarity, both of which are natural deterrents to opportunistic crime.

How to Read the Elizabethton Crime Map

The interactive crime map on this page plots each of the 80 recent incidents as individual pins, color-coded by category. Here is how to get the most out of it:

• Filter by incident type — Toggle theft, vandalism, assault, burglary, and other categories on or off to focus on the crime types most relevant to your situation.
• Use the date slider — Narrow the view to the past 30 days to see the freshest activity, or expand to the full 90-day window for trend analysis.
• Check incident density, not just pins — A cluster of pins in one area may reflect a patrol-heavy zone where reports are filed more consistently, not necessarily a more dangerous block.
• Cross-reference with the grade — The A- overall grade gives you the macro picture; the map gives you the micro detail. Use both together.

Property Crime Awareness: Theft and Burglary

Combined, theft and burglary account for 26% of all recent incidents — the two categories with the most direct impact on homeowners and renters. With a median home value of $123,395 and median rent of $635, Elizabethton's housing stock skews toward modest single-family homes and older rental units, which can be more vulnerable to opportunistic burglary if basic precautions are skipped.

Practical steps that reduce exposure include: securing detached garages and outbuildings (a frequent burglary target in small Tennessee cities), avoiding leaving packages on porches overnight, and coordinating with neighbors to report unfamiliar vehicles parked for extended periods.

Violent Crime in Perspective

The 6 assault reports and 1 shooting over 90 days represent 9% of all incidents combined. While every violent incident matters, these numbers are low relative to Elizabethton's population. The shooting on February 26, 2026 is the only firearm-related incident in the dataset — a meaningful contrast to cities of similar size that see multiple such events per month. Residents concerned about violent crime should note that Elizabethton's A- grade reflects this low frequency.

Community and Economic Context

Elizabethton's 5.6% unemployment rate and 23.2% poverty rate are real economic challenges that the community navigates daily. Research consistently shows that economic stress can increase property crime pressure — which makes the city's A- crime grade even more notable. Strong community ties, active local policing, and the geographic character of Carter County all appear to be countervailing forces keeping crime rates low despite those economic headwinds.