Crime and safety in Athens
Athens reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less. Compared with places its own size, it does better than 49%.
What stands out about safety in Athens
Reported crime is falling
Property crime went from 25.2 to 19.8 per 1,000 residents between 2023 and 2025. Violent crime fell too, from 4.3 to 3.5. Statewide, it fell even more: 27%. The drop is bigger than normal year-to-year swings. Trend ↓
Nearly all property crime is theft
Of the 2,564 property crimes reported in 2025, 86% were thefts: shoplifting, bikes, things taken from cars and yards. There were 188 burglaries and 169 stolen vehicles. What gets reported ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, 2022–2025, not convictions.
Reported crime is falling
Per 1,000 residents, 2022–2025, against Georgia.
Show as a table
| Year | Athens property | Georgia property | Athens violent | Georgia violent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19.8 | 14 | 3.5 | 3 |
| 2024 | 22.8 | 17.1 | 4.1 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 25.2 | 19.1 | 4.3 | 3.7 |
| 2022 | 26.3 | 17.5 | 6 | 3.9 |
About 6 theft reports a day
Thefts were 73% of everything reported. Burglaries: 188. Vehicle thefts: 169.
2025 offenses reported
Most reports in most towns are thefts: packages, bikes, things left in unlocked cars. Locking up and a porch light go a long way.
Offenses reported to police, not convictions. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
Athens’s Safety Grade: C−
Property crimes plus 4× violent crimes reported per resident, 2023–2025, on a national curve.
How the Safety Grade works
- One score, from FBI data. Property crimes + 4 × violent crimes reported to police, per resident, pooled over 2023–2025. Violent crime counts more because it matters more to how safe a place feels. It’s the same score behind the Safest towns in GA ranking.
- Graded on a national curve. Every U.S. town with 1,000+ residents that reported all 3 years: A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D and D− the bottom 15%. There’s no F.
- Violent and property sub-grades use the same curve on each rate alone. Trend only says improving or rising when the change is bigger than normal swings.
- What it can’t see: unreported crime, traffic safety, or which part of town incidents happen in. It’s our own summary of public data, not an official rating.
For every 1,000 residents, about 20 property crimes reported
And about 4 violent crimes, in 2025. Below are 1,000 dots, one per resident; each colored dot is one reported crime.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Crimes reported to police in 2025 per resident; one person can be the victim of more than one, and some reports involve visitors.
Athens and its neighbors
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | C− | 3.5 | 19.8 | 2025 |
Reported crimes per 1,000 residents in each town’s latest year; * = a count, for towns under 1,000 people; — = not graded. No town figures in the FBI’s data: Winterville.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many thefts and some assaults are never reported.
- One number for a whole city. A rate for all of Athens doesn’t show where incidents happen, and that can differ a lot from one part of town to another.
- Visitors count too. Towns with a campus, highway, beach or shopping center see incidents involving people who don’t live there.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
Know who to call
For emergencies, the nearest ER, and the storms and floods Athens plans for.
Phone numbers come from neighbors and the town’s own site (the Handbook). A number you add goes live once two neighbors confirm it.
Heads-up board
Neighbors looking out for each other in Athens.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, 2025, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Hospitals: CMS Hospital General Information. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.