Crime & Safety in Kingsport
Kingsport's crime data runs more consistently above-national-average across its two most-cited sources than Johnson City's more sharply conflicting data -- both NeighborhoodScout and CrimeGrade frame Kingsport as running above-average on crime, though they measure and frame it somewhat differently.
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Learn moreNeighborhoodScout's read: a high rate, well above most Tennessee communities
NeighborhoodScout cites an overall crime rate of 34 per 1,000 residents -- "one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes" -- with a 1-in-29 chance of victimization (violent or property crime combined), and states more than 95% of Tennessee communities have a lower crime rate than Kingsport. Property crime specifically is cited at 30 per 1,000 (a 1-in-34 chance), the larger share of the overall figure.
CrimeGrade's read: broadly consistent in direction, if not in exact framing
CrimeGrade cites Kingsport's violent crime rate at 7.204 per 1,000 residents and places the city in only the 17th percentile for property-crime safety (safer than 17% of cities nationally, less safe than 83%) -- broadly consistent in direction with NeighborhoodScout's above-national-average framing, a real point of cross-source agreement less common in this dataset than outright disagreement. The annual cost of crime per resident is cited at $425, $166 above the national average -- itself higher than the comparable $323/resident figure cited for Johnson City.
A more consistent, if less favorable, picture than Johnson City
Unlike Johnson City's sharper cross-source disagreement (where CrimeGrade's own overall B grade sat in real tension with its above-national-average cost-of-crime figure), Kingsport's two major sources broadly agree in direction -- both describe an above-national-average crime environment. This is a more internally consistent, but less favorable, read than Johnson City's more conflicted data.
Check a specific address directly, and expect real block-level variance
As with any city, block-level and neighborhood-level variance is real and can be masked by any citywide statistic from either source. Per site policy, no specific lower-rated area is named here -- check a specific address directly with both NeighborhoodScout and CrimeGrade.org before drawing a conclusion.
Key takeaways
- NeighborhoodScout cites an overall crime rate of 34 per 1,000 (higher than 95% of Tennessee communities, 1-in-29 victimization odds), with property crime specifically at 30 per 1,000.
- CrimeGrade cites a violent crime rate of 7.204 per 1,000 and places Kingsport in only the 17th percentile for property-crime safety -- broadly consistent in direction with NeighborhoodScout, unlike the sharper Johnson City cross-source disagreement.
- The annual cost of crime per resident is cited at $425 (CrimeGrade), $166 above the national average and higher than Johnson City's comparable $323/resident figure.
- Check a specific address directly with both sources before drawing a conclusion; no specific lower-rated area is named here per site policy.
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