Silver Spring, MD Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Silver Spring, MD Crime

Is Silver Spring, MD safe?

Yes — Silver Spring earns a city-wide safety rating of B (Safe) based on analysis of all 14 neighborhoods. Every single neighborhood in the dataset falls into the A or B grade range, meaning 100% of Silver Spring neighborhoods are rated safe. The five top-rated neighborhoods — Layhill (A), Four Corners (A), Cloverly (A-), Kemp Mill (A-), and Colesville (A-) — account for roughly 57,000 residents living in areas with very low crime levels. Even the neighborhoods with the lowest grades in the analysis, Hillandale and Silver Spring proper, still hold a B-, which remains within the safe tier. No neighborhood in Silver Spring received a C, D, or F grade.

What is the crime rate in Silver Spring, MD?

Silver Spring's overall crime picture is best understood through its grade distribution: 35.7% of neighborhoods (5 out of 14) earned an A or A- grade, and the remaining 64.3% (9 neighborhoods) earned a B-range grade. Not a single neighborhood fell below a B-. The highest-crime areas relative to the rest of the city are Hillandale (B-), Silver Spring downtown core (B-), White Oak (B), and Fairland (B) — all still within the broadly safe range. By comparison, Layhill and Four Corners, both graded A with median household incomes above $152,000, represent the lowest-crime end of the spectrum. The city's poverty rate of 9.2% and unemployment rate of 5.2% provide economic context: Silver Spring is a relatively prosperous community, and that stability is reflected in its across-the-board safe neighborhood grades.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Silver Spring?

Five neighborhoods earned the top A-tier grades in Silver Spring's 2026 analysis:

• Layhill (A) — Population 4,481; median household income $154,331. The highest income of any neighborhood in the dataset and a straight-A safety grade.
• Four Corners (A) — Population 8,725; median household income $152,857. Consistently low crime and one of the city's most sought-after residential areas.
• Cloverly (A-) — The largest A-tier neighborhood by population at 16,688 residents; median income $160,640, the highest in the dataset.
• Kemp Mill (A-) — Population 11,924; median household income $142,491. A well-established community with strong safety metrics.
• Colesville (A-) — Population 15,470; median household income $141,820. Broad residential base with consistently low crime.

Just below the A tier, Forest Glen (B+), Leisure World (B+), Glenmont (B+), and Calverton (B+) all offer strong safety profiles, with median incomes ranging from roughly $79,700 to $117,600.

Which neighborhoods in Silver Spring have higher crime?

The neighborhoods with the highest crime levels relative to Silver Spring's own scale are Hillandale (B-) and the Silver Spring downtown core (B-), followed by White Oak (B) and Fairland (B). It is important to keep perspective: a B- is still a passing, safe-range grade — these areas simply have more reported incidents than the A-rated suburbs to the north. Wheaton, Silver Spring's largest neighborhood at over 53,000 residents, holds a B+, demonstrating that even the most densely populated part of the metro area maintains a solid safety record. If you are evaluating neighborhoods for a move or rental, the crime map's grade distribution shows no true high-crime outliers within Silver Spring's boundaries.

Is Silver Spring a good place to live?

The data makes a strong case for Silver Spring as a livable community. Key statistics at a glance:

• Median household income: $88,274 — well above the national median
• Median home value: $525,847 — reflecting sustained housing demand
• Median rent: $1,682 — competitive for the Washington, D.C. metro area
• Poverty rate: 9.2% — below the national average
• Unemployment rate: 5.2%
• Neighborhood safety: 100% of analyzed neighborhoods rated A or B

For families, the A-rated corridor of Layhill, Four Corners, Cloverly, Kemp Mill, and Colesville offers top-tier safety alongside household incomes exceeding $140,000. For renters and younger residents, Wheaton (B+) and Glenmont (B+) provide more affordable entry points without sacrificing safety. The combination of economic stability, transit access to D.C., and a uniformly safe neighborhood grade distribution makes Silver Spring one of the stronger suburban choices in the mid-Atlantic region.

How does Silver Spring's overall crime grade compare to its neighborhood grades?

This is an important distinction to understand. Silver Spring carries an overall crime grade of D+ at the city level, yet the neighborhood-level analysis produces a city-wide safety rating of B with 100% of neighborhoods graded A or B. The gap exists because city-level crime grades incorporate broader county and regional crime rate benchmarks, while the neighborhood safety rating reflects the relative distribution of crime across Silver Spring's own 14 neighborhoods. In practical terms, residents in the safest areas — Layhill, Four Corners, and Cloverly — experience crime environments consistent with an A grade, while even the lower-rated areas like Hillandale and Silver Spring downtown hold a B-. Prospective residents should consult the interactive crime map to evaluate specific neighborhoods rather than relying solely on the aggregate city grade.