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Whether you’re considering visiting or moving to Marietta, GA, or you currently live here, you may be wondering about the Marietta crime rate, as well as what types of crime happen within the city or Cobb County as a whole.

Gathering and Analyzing Criminal Activity Statistics in GA

Crime statistics in Georgia are logged and compiled by local police departments, police on college campuses, sheriff’s offices, and several other law enforcement agencies across each county.

All data-collecting offices within a county pool their findings into a crime index, which is then added to other county indexes based on geographical region, making up Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). These MSAs make analyzing the frequency of criminal activity across the state cohesive and easy to compare.

Crimes That Are Frequently Seen Across the State of Georgia

Georgia is commonly known to have a problem with property crimes (theft/larceny, burglary, robbery, arson) in addition to other crimes such as vandalism and arson.

The state’s 2022 summary report found that roughly 60 percent of all reported offenses were larceny, followed by burglary crimes and motor vehicle theft, which each made up around 10 percent. Human trafficking, arson, and offenses were the least common types of crimes.

The report also estimated that a violent crime (murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, etc.) is committed every 14 minutes and 19 seconds on average in Georgia.

Non-violent crimes such as burglary, larceny, car theft, and arson occur every three minutes and 10 seconds on average. This means it’s estimated that a crime is committed every two minutes and 35 seconds in Georgia.

Statistics for Crimes Occurring Within Marietta, Cobb County, GA

In a crime statistical report from the state’s 2022 compiled data, Cobb County was reported to have a population of over 770,000 people out of the over six million people within the greater metropolitan statistical area.

The city of Marietta is within Cobb County, one of the counties in the MSA of Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, which contributes to around 61 percent of Georgia’s crimes. This makes it the MSA with the highest total crime index.

Cobb County’s individual index crime total (the number of non-violent and violent crimes that occurred) was 13,240 in 2022, which accounts for nearly 11 percent of the metropolitan area’s total crime index.

Of those crimes, 68 percent of them were larceny offenses (9,029), 9.7 percent were aggravated assault (1,279), 8.9 percent of crimes involved burglary (1,181), and 8.6 percent of violations were motor vehicle theft (1,140).

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta MSA had a total of 526 murders, of which 31 occurred in Cobb County. Cobb County had the third highest number of murders after DeKalb County, which had a comparable population and 158 murders.

How Do I Know if It’s Safe to Live in Marietta?

Whether or not you believe a city is a safe place to live is generally relative and subjective. Your decision largely depends on your own perspectives and experiences, but objective data also comes into play. However, it’s crucial to consider the context when analyzing statistics. For instance, a city could have a higher number of crimes due to its high population. Regardless of the crime rate, there’s always some degree of crime within otherwise lawful communities.

It’s almost impossible to fully capture a city’s safety and other complexities with a list of numbers. If you have concerns about crime and safety, you can research the relative safety of the area through the available crime maps, government and community reports, surveys, quality-of-life indexes, and more. You can also take extra protective measures to enhance your peace of mind.

FAQs

Q: Does Crime Make Marietta, Georgia, an Unsafe Place to Live?

A: Whether Marietta, GA, is considered an unsafe place to live depends on your priorities and concerns. It is considered one of the finest cities in Cobb County to reside in despite its average housing market, cost of living, and the general rate of crime. At the same time, it’s found to have highly rated public schools, outdoor activities, diversity, and nightlife, making it a nice option for families to live in.

Q: Does Crime Prevent Marietta, GA, From Being a Walkable City?

A: Crime does not prevent Marietta, GA, from being a walkable city. Marietta is considered a very walkable city, with a walk score of 85 (out of 100), a score of 35 for public transportation, and a score of 56 for the present bikeable infrastructure within the city. Most errands can be accomplished on foot, given the proximity to Downtown Marietta, although there are only a few nearby public transportation options. Accessible parks in the area include Wright Park, Glover Park, and Washington Avenue Historic District.

Q: What Is the Most Common Crime in Marietta, GA?

A: The most common crime in Marietta, GA, is larceny/theft. Marietta is located in Cobb County, which saw 9,029 instances of larceny/theft in 2022. The next most common crime was aggravated assault, of which 1,279 cases were reported that same year. The least common crime was human trafficking involving involuntary servitude; only three cases were reported.

Q: What Is the Safest County in GA?

A: The safest county in GA is debatable. In 2022, there were a number of counties with a crime rate of 0.00, including Baker, Chattahoochee, Dooly, Lincoln, Stewart, Taliaferro, and Webster counties. Based on these statistics alone, any one of these counties could be labeled as the safest county in Georgia. The metropolitan statistical area with the lowest crime index was Hinesville, GA, although it also has one of the smallest populations.

If You’ve Been Accused of Crimes in Marietta, Contact The Law Office of Lawrence J. Zimmerman

At The Law Office of Lawrence J. Zimmerman, our Marietta criminal defense attorneys have extensive knowledge and experience in handling a wide variety of criminal cases and charges. We represent clients charged with drug offenses, property crimes, violent and sex crimes, firearms violations, and more. Consult with us today to learn about your options and begin your defense.