Is There A Lot of Crime in Athens, Georgia? (What You Should Know)

Athens, Georgia, USA downtown cityscape.

Moving to a new city can be scary, and the decision to do so is one that should not be taken lightly. There can be many great reasons to move somewhere, but if it lacks certain vital characteristics, such as safety, these are commonly viewed as deal breakers for many people.

Athens, Georgia is far from the most dangerous city, but it does have a high amount of crime reports. It is safer than approximately 12% of US cities and exceeds the national and Georgia state averages in crime rates in overall crime, property crimes, and violent crimes as well.

Although this statistic does show that the city is more dangerous than the average city in the US, there are many other crime-related areas to be aware of when viewing Athens. The following subheadings will explain more about the crime reports in Athens, Georgia.

Athens Overall Crime Statistics

As mentioned above, the overall crime rates in Athens show that it is only safer than 12% of US cities. That does also mean that Athens is more dangerous than 88% of US cities, which is an incredibly high and fairly concerning amount of crime. There are approximately 4,265 crimes that occur in Athens on an annual basis. Of these, there are around 650 violent crimes, which is also high, and the remaining 3,615 crimes committed are property crimes.

Generally, property crimes are committed far more often than violent crimes. There are around 28 property crimes committed in Athens for every 1,000 residents, but only 5 violent crimes by the same measurement. This makes a total of 33.5 crimes reported in Athens per 1,000 residents in the city.

The amount of crime in relation to the area in the city is slightly higher than the average city but is not alarmingly high either. In the state of Georgia as a whole, there is an average of 22 crimes per square mile. This is lower than the United States average of 27 crimes for every square mile. Athens, however, exceeds both of these with a total of 36 crimes per square mile based on the total amount of crimes committed in the city and reported annually. While these overall crime rates are helpful in getting a general idea of Athens as a community and the safety there, more specific crime statistics will be informative as well.

Property Crime Rates

One way to measure the amount of crime in a city in a smaller category is by viewing the types of crimes that are occurring there. Property crimes include crimes such as graffiti, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and other similar offenses of related intensity. Athens, Georgia has high property crime rates overall. There are nearly 29 property crimes reported there for every 1,000 residents. This is 9 crimes more than the state of Georgia and 10 crimes more (per 1,000 residents) than the national average!

When in the city of Athens, each person has a 1 in 35 chance that they will become the next victim of a property crime taking place in the city. These are not great odds, even for a city of its size. They are also considerably worse than the probability a person has of becoming a crime victim while in the state in general. The state of Georgia as a whole possesses a 1 in 50 chance that each person within it will fall victim to some sort of property crime. The odds are not great in Georgia, but they are particularly awful in the city of Athens.

Reports on Violent Crimes

Especially in comparison to property crimes, violent crimes are rather severe offenses. Some examples of violent crimes are assault, rape, murder, and robbery. These are not crimes to be taken lightly and cause severe damage in a variety of ways. They are also more common in Athens, Georgia than is the median in the state or national statistics.

The national median for violent crimes per 1,000 residents is only 4. The state of Georgia shares this with the US in that the state average amount of violent crimes per 1,000 people is only 4 as well. Athens, Georgia shows that there are around 5 violent crimes committed in the city for every 1,000 residents, which exceeds both the national and state averages. Athens has a higher percentage of residents who become violent crime victims than the average city in Georgia or even in the United States.

One in every two hundred and fifty people in the state of Georgia become violent crime victims. The amount of violent crimes in the city in relation to the current population shows that every person in Athens has a one in one hundred and ninety-six chance that they will have a violent crime committed against them, making them a victim. For anyone that is overly concerned about these probability statistics, be sure to compare them to neighboring cities. Even though Athens has a higher probability that you will fall victim to a violent crime, it is safer than some options in the state of Georgia.

Some of the Safest Cities in Athens by Crime Rates

Now that you are aware of the kinds of crimes that occur here, how often they take place, and the probability that a person has within the city and state to fall victim to crimes, it will be easier to make an informed decision as to whether moving to Athens would be a good decision for you and your family.

Another good thing to research when looking at the crime rates in a city is to know which areas are safer and more dangerous. This can be decided based on the number of crimes that take place in each neighborhood or part of the city itself. Some of the safest neighborhoods and areas in Athens are listed below.

  • Chaddywyck
  • Green Acres
  • Kingswood and Holly Hills
  • Snapfinger Woods and Chamberlain
  • South Milledge and Riverbend Research
  • Tanglewood
  • University of Georgia
  • Village at Jennings Mill with Atlanta Hwy and 78
  • Westgate Park
  • Winterville

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