Middlesex County Crime & Safety

Middlesex County has a total crime rate of 1432.7 per 100,000 residents, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. This includes both violent crimes (181.2 per 100K) and property crimes (1251.5 per 100K).

Middlesex County has a safety score of 38/100, rated "High Crime". A higher safety score indicates lower crime rates relative to other counties nationwide. It ranks #11 out of 21 counties in New Jersey for safety (1 = safest).

The county's crime rate is lower than the New Jersey average of 1,525.9 per 100,000. It also edges out the state’s average safety score of 97.6.

Property crime sits at 1,251.5 per 100,000, dwarfing the violent crime rate of 181.2. This ratio suggests that most police activity focuses on larceny and motor vehicle theft.

Crime data for Middlesex County comes from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. Local law enforcement agencies submit data on violent crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) and property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft) to the FBI. Rates are calculated per 100,000 residents to allow fair comparison between counties of different sizes. The safety score (0-100) is derived from these rates, with higher scores indicating safer counties.

Middlesex County has a safety score of 38/100, which is below the New Jersey average of 40/100. Many counties with above-average crime rates invest in community policing, crime prevention programs, neighborhood watch initiatives, and social services aimed at reducing crime over time.