Kemp Mill, MD Crime Map
Explore crime rates, safest neighborhoods, and detailed crime statistics
Kemp Mill Crime Overview: What the Data Actually Shows
Kemp Mill earns an overall crime grade of C- for 2026 — a rating that deserves context rather than alarm. With a population of roughly 14,812 residents spread across a moderately dense 2,278 people per square mile, this Montgomery County enclave sits in an interesting position: its socioeconomic profile is among the strongest in the region, yet its crime grade reflects real patterns worth understanding before you move in, invest, or simply plan your daily routine.
Consider the economic backdrop: Kemp Mill's median household income of $126,447 places it well above national and state medians, and a poverty rate of just 2.4% signals a community with significant financial stability. Median home values sit at $446,359, and median rent runs $1,973 per month — figures that reflect genuine demand for housing here. A C- grade in a community with these demographics tells us that the crimes occurring are largely opportunistic property offenses rather than indicators of systemic social distress.
Property Crime: The Dominant Pattern
Across Kemp Mill's incident data, property crime consistently accounts for the largest share of reported offenses. Theft — including vehicle break-ins and larceny from driveways and parking areas — represents the most prevalent category. Residents near the Kemp Mill Shopping Center corridor and along arterial roads connecting to University Boulevard have historically seen higher concentrations of vehicle-related theft, largely because these corridors generate foot traffic and parking turnover that opportunistic thieves exploit.
Burglary incidents, while less frequent than theft, do appear in the data and tend to cluster in transitional hours — late evening and early morning — particularly in blocks with lower street lighting density. Residents in the neighborhoods bordering Long Branch Stream Valley Park should be aware that park-adjacent properties can experience slightly elevated property crime, as green space perimeters sometimes provide cover for would-be burglars.
Violent Crime: Rare but Present
Violent crime in Kemp Mill is a relatively small fraction of total incidents, which is consistent with the community's low poverty rate and high income levels. Assault incidents do appear in the record, but their frequency is low enough that Kemp Mill compares favorably to many similarly sized suburban communities in the broader Washington, D.C. metro area. That said, a C- overall grade means residents should not treat violent crime as a non-issue — isolated incidents do occur, and awareness matters.
Robbery incidents are infrequent and tend to be concentrated near commercial nodes rather than residential streets. The neighborhoods deeper inside Kemp Mill's residential grid — away from major commercial corridors — show meaningfully lower violent crime density than the edges of the community.
How Kemp Mill's Grade Compares to Its Demographics
A C- grade in a community where unemployment sits at 4.7% and fewer than 1-in-40 residents lives in poverty is a signal worth analyzing carefully. Nationally, communities with comparable income and poverty profiles often achieve B or even A crime grades. The gap here likely reflects Kemp Mill's position as a high-value suburban target area — its median home value of $446,359 and visible prosperity can attract property criminals from surrounding areas, a phenomenon well-documented in affluent suburban enclaves throughout Montgomery County.
This also means that many of the effective countermeasures are resident-driven: secured garages, motion-activated lighting, coordinated neighborhood watch programs, and consistent reporting to the Montgomery County Police Department all have documented impact on property crime rates in communities like this one.
Neighborhood-Level Safety Patterns
Within Kemp Mill, safety is not uniform. The interior residential blocks — particularly those clustered around Kemp Mill Road itself and the neighborhoods abutting Long Branch Park's quieter sections — tend to see lower incident density. These areas benefit from strong community cohesion, active homeowner associations, and the natural surveillance that comes from pedestrian-friendly street layouts.
By contrast, the commercial-adjacent zones near the Kemp Mill Shopping Center and properties along major through-streets experience higher property crime frequency. If you're evaluating a specific address, proximity to commercial activity and major roads is a meaningful variable to weigh alongside the community-wide C- grade.
Practical Safety Guidance for 2026
- Secure vehicles every time: Auto-related theft is the single most actionable risk in Kemp Mill. Never leave valuables visible, and use steering wheel locks or GPS trackers for added deterrence.
- Invest in perimeter lighting: Motion-activated exterior lighting is one of the most cost-effective deterrents for the residential burglary pattern seen here.
- Use the crime map actively: The interactive map on this page lets you filter by incident type and date range — check it monthly to spot any emerging clusters near your block.
- Report to MCPD promptly: Underreporting is a real issue in affluent communities. Every reported incident improves police resource allocation and helps the data reflect reality.
- Engage neighborhood networks: Kemp Mill has active community organizations — connecting with them gives you real-time, hyperlocal safety intelligence that no map can fully replace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions: Kemp Mill, MD Crime & Safety (2026)
Is Kemp Mill, MD safe in 2026?
Kemp Mill receives an overall crime grade of C- for 2026, which places it in the middle-to-lower tier of safety grades — but that number requires context. The community's poverty rate of just 2.4% and median household income of $126,447 are among the strongest socioeconomic indicators in Montgomery County, and violent crime remains a relatively rare occurrence here. The C- grade is driven primarily by property crime — particularly vehicle theft and larceny — rather than by violent offenses. For most residents going about daily life, Kemp Mill feels and functions as a safe suburban community. The grade is best understood as a call to practice consistent property-crime prevention habits rather than as a warning about personal safety.
What types of crime are most common in Kemp Mill?
Property crime dominates Kemp Mill's incident profile. Theft — including larceny from vehicles and residential burglary — accounts for the largest share of reported offenses. Vehicle break-ins are particularly prevalent near the Kemp Mill Shopping Center corridor and along higher-traffic roads connecting to University Boulevard, where parking turnover creates opportunity for opportunistic thieves. Violent crimes, including assault and robbery, do appear in the data but represent a significantly smaller proportion of total incidents. Robbery incidents tend to cluster near commercial nodes rather than in purely residential areas. The overall pattern is consistent with a prosperous suburban community where most crime is financially motivated and property-focused.
Which neighborhoods in Kemp Mill have lower crime rates?
Based on incident density patterns, the interior residential blocks along Kemp Mill Road and neighborhoods situated away from major commercial corridors tend to experience lower crime frequency. Areas adjacent to Long Branch Park's quieter residential edges also show relatively lower incident rates in the data. These neighborhoods benefit from stronger community cohesion, active homeowner engagement, and street layouts that support natural surveillance. By contrast, blocks immediately surrounding the Kemp Mill Shopping Center and properties fronting high-traffic arterial roads see higher property crime concentrations. When evaluating safety at the address level, distance from commercial activity and major through-streets is a meaningful variable alongside the community-wide C- grade.
How does Kemp Mill's crime rate compare to the rest of Montgomery County?
Kemp Mill's C- overall crime grade sits below what its demographic profile might predict. Communities with comparable poverty rates (2.4%) and median incomes ($126,447) often achieve B-range grades across Montgomery County. The gap is partly explained by Kemp Mill's status as a high-value suburban target: median home values of $446,359 and visible prosperity can attract property criminals from surrounding areas — a documented pattern in affluent suburban enclaves throughout the county. That said, Kemp Mill's violent crime frequency remains low relative to many Maryland communities, and its overall safety profile is meaningfully better than urban areas in the broader D.C. metro region.
Is Kemp Mill a good place to live despite the C- crime grade?
Yes — for most households, Kemp Mill's overall quality of life remains high. A median household income of $126,447, median home value of $446,359, unemployment rate of 4.7%, and poverty rate of 2.4% collectively describe a stable, prosperous community with strong schools, well-maintained public spaces, and convenient access to Washington, D.C. The C- crime grade reflects real property crime patterns that residents should take seriously and prepare for — primarily through vehicle security, home hardening, and community engagement — but it does not indicate a community in distress. Families and professionals consistently rate Kemp Mill as a desirable place to live, and the data supports that assessment when property crime prevention measures are practiced consistently.
What can Kemp Mill residents do to improve neighborhood safety?
The most impactful steps residents can take are practical and immediate. Securing vehicles every time — removing valuables, locking doors, and using visible deterrents like steering wheel locks — directly addresses the most prevalent crime type in the area. Installing motion-activated exterior lighting reduces burglary risk, particularly for properties near Long Branch Park and other park-adjacent blocks. Reporting all incidents to the Montgomery County Police Department is critical: underreporting in affluent communities is a known issue that distorts police resource allocation. Finally, connecting with Kemp Mill's active neighborhood associations and community organizations provides real-time, hyperlocal safety intelligence that supplements what any crime map can show.