With a crime rate for both violent and property crime combined of 11 per 1,000 residents, the crime rate in Bethesda is one of the lower rates in America among communities of all sizes (lower than 62% of America's communities). One's chance of becoming a victim of crime in Bethesda is one in 91. Compared to communities within Maryland, Bethesda‘s crime rate is lower than nearly 73% of the state's cities and towns.

Additionally, NeighborhoodScout analyzed all cities and towns in America with a similar population size to Bethesda, and we found that the crime rate in Bethesda is one of the lowest in the nation for its size. This means Bethesda is one of the safest places in America in which to live for its size, a very important finding.

Now let us turn to take a look at how Bethesda does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Bethesda.

For Bethesda, NeighborhoodScout found that the violent crime rate is well below the national average for all communities of all population sizes. Violent crimes such as assault, rape, murder and armed robbery happen less often in Bethesda than in most of America. One's chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime here is one in 1887, which is a violent crime rate of 1 per one thousand inhabitants.

Moreover, the rate of property crime in Bethesda; burglary, larceny ($50 or more), grand theft auto, and arson; is 11 per 1,000 residents. This is about average for all cities and towns in America of all population sizes.