Is Chattanooga, TN Safe? 2026 Crime Rates & Safety Report
Key facts
- 01
Chattanooga, Tennessee reported 561.72 aggravated assault offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.45 times the national reference of 229.56 per 100,000 and 332.16 per 100,000 above that reference, with 1,027 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 02
Chattanooga, Tennessee reported 2,676.77 larceny-theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.42 times the national reference of 1,106.97 per 100,000 and 1,569.80 per 100,000 above that reference, with 4,894 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 03
Chattanooga, Tennessee reported 456.16 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.36 times the national reference of 193.00 per 100,000 and 263.16 per 100,000 above that reference, with 834 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 04
Chattanooga, Tennessee reported 378.49 burglary offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 2.01 times the national reference of 188.15 per 100,000 and 190.34 per 100,000 above that reference, with 692 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
- 05
Chattanooga, Tennessee reported 77.12 robbery offenses per 100,000 residents in 2025, 1.60 times the national reference of 48.24 per 100,000 and 28.88 per 100,000 above that reference, with 141 annual reported offenses (FBI CDE 2025 profile).
Quick answer
In the Safety Atlas 2026 public safety index, Chattanooga, TN has an adjusted safety score of 13.97 out of 100. It ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Tennessee. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing.
Jump to Section
2026 edition, FBI source year 2025.
Chattanooga in 7 numbers
- Motor vehicle theft fell by a third. 834 reports in 2025 vs 1,252 in 2024 (−33%), the largest year-over-year move of any indicator offense.
- Almost half of all reports are property crime. 8,230 of 15,695 reports (52.4%); larceny-theft alone is 4,894 (31.2%).
- Clearances skew toward violent crime. 27.9% of aggravated assaults cleared vs 4.9% of motor vehicle thefts and 5.9% of homicides (2025, reports cleared ÷ reports received).
- A second look at motor vehicle theft. March (90) ran 2.2× December (40); the year finished down 33%.
- Motor Vehicle Theft is volatile but down. Monthly counts swung 2.2× (Mar 90 vs Dec 40); the year finished 33% below 2024.
- The biggest volume isn’t violent. Simple assault (2,455) and vandalism (1,669) dwarf the whole personal-safety total (1,403, 8.9% of reports).
- Small months, big bars. December’s 40 motor vehicle thefts vs March’s 90 is a gap of 50 reports, monthly charts amplify small-number swings. Read the 12-month direction, not one bar.
Takeaways are computed from FBI CDE reported counts (source year 2025, TN0330100). They describe reported data, not forecasts; check the methodology and coverage notes before reuse.
Every number on this page ships in the Tennessee workbook.
Key Public Safety Indicators
Reported rates per 100,000 residents; national references shown alongside.
| Offense Class | Annual Count | Rate per 100K | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robbery | 141 | 77.12 | 48.24 |
1.6× national |
| Aggravated Assault | 1027 | 561.72 | 229.56 |
2.45× national |
| Burglary | 692 | 378.49 | 188.15 |
2.01× national |
| Larceny-theft | 4894 | 2676.77 | 1106.97 |
2.42× national |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 834 | 456.16 | 193.0 |
2.36× national |
Data, definitions and reuse
Violent: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault. Property: burglary, larceny, vehicle theft, arson. Subcategories are excluded to avoid double counting. Counts are offenses reported to police in this jurisdiction, not rates, neighborhood scores or a census of all crime.
| Month | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 110 | 580 |
| Feb | 99 | 507 |
| Mar | 97 | 574 |
| Apr | 115 | 489 |
| May | 152 | 529 |
| Jun | 95 | 525 |
| Jul | 90 | 545 |
| Aug | 127 | 573 |
| Sep | 116 | 558 |
| Oct | 121 | 546 |
| Nov | 100 | 547 |
| Dec | 102 | 461 |
Reuse under CC BY 4.0; indicate changes. The downloaded image carries our name, licence and source in its metadata. Embed code:
<img src="https://www.safetyatlas.us/img/charts/chattanooga-tn-crime-trend-2025.webp" alt="Chart of Chattanooga, TN crime statistics: Chattanooga reported 1,324 violent offenses in 2025, 15.1% fewer than in 2024. Shows violent and property monthly bars." width="1200" height="675" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%;height:auto">
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.safetyatlas.us/safety/tn/chattanooga">Safety Atlas, Chattanooga, TN</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>.</p>
Chattanooga monthly trend: reported counts through December 2025
Annual totals hide timing. The bars below show 2025 reported counts per month for the three highest-relative indicator offenses; each table carries the same numbers with FBI pre-computed rates. The full 19-offense monthly series (2020-2025) is downloadable below.
Aggravated Assault, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 1027 reports vs 1173 in 2024 (down 12% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 85 | 43.84 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 76 | 39.2 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 73 | 37.65 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 92 | 47.45 | Full |
| May 2025 | 116 | 59.83 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 69 | 35.59 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 65 | 33.53 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 104 | 53.64 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 87 | 44.87 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 99 | 51.06 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 77 | 39.72 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 84 | 43.33 | Full |
Larceny-theft, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 4894 reports vs 5514 in 2024 (down 11% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 418 | 215.6 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 384 | 198.06 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 430 | 221.79 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 381 | 196.51 | Full |
| May 2025 | 380 | 196 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 403 | 207.86 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 430 | 221.79 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 415 | 214.05 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 431 | 222.3 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 431 | 222.3 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 424 | 218.69 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 367 | 189.29 | Full |
Motor Vehicle Theft, month by month
↓ Decreasing, 834 reports vs 1252 in 2024 (down 33% in reported data).
| Month | Count | Rate per 100K | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 89 | 45.9 | Full |
| Feb 2025 | 66 | 34.04 | Full |
| Mar 2025 | 90 | 46.42 | Full |
| Apr 2025 | 62 | 31.98 | Full |
| May 2025 | 79 | 40.75 | Full |
| Jun 2025 | 73 | 37.65 | Full |
| Jul 2025 | 67 | 34.56 | Full |
| Aug 2025 | 87 | 44.87 | Full |
| Sep 2025 | 56 | 28.88 | Full |
| Oct 2025 | 49 | 25.27 | Full |
| Nov 2025 | 76 | 39.2 | Full |
| Dec 2025 | 40 | 20.63 | Full |
Clearances: what got cleared in 2025
28% of aggravated assaults cleared vs 5% of motor vehicle thefts, clearance follows violent crime, not volume.
| Offense | Reported | Cleared | Clearance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 17 | 1 | 5.9% |
| Aggravated Assault | 1,027 | 287 | 27.9% |
| Robbery | 141 | 17 | 12.1% |
| Burglary | 692 | 85 | 12.3% |
| Larceny-theft | 4,894 | 519 | 10.6% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 834 | 41 | 4.9% |
Clearances ÷ reports received; clearances may concern earlier reports, so this is not a solve rate.
Monthly counts and FBI pre-computed rates per 100,000, FBI CDE source year 2025, TN0330100. Rates use FBI month-specific covered-population denominators and are shown as published, not recomputed. A hyphen (-) means not reported, not zero. Annual totals equal the sum of shown months within ±2% (see manifest).
Downloads: Chattanooga monthly series (JSON) · same data (CSV) · build manifest
Comparing Chattanooga to somewhere else? Take the file with you.
What drives Chattanooga's safety score?
Chattanooga ranks in the bottom quarter of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Tennessee, ahead of approximately 17% of that scored set. The profile uses a reporting population of 182,832 and source-year data through 2025; it is a citywide agency-level comparison, not a neighborhood forecast.
The strongest of the three score components is Community Order at 28.22, while Property Security is lowest at 9.94. The 18.28-point spread shows why the composite should be read by component instead of as a single absolute claim about safety.
Among the five public offense indicators, Aggravated Assault is highest relative to its national reference at 561.72 per 100,000 (2.45× the national rate). Robbery is lowest on the same relative basis at 77.12 per 100,000 (1.6× national).
Coverage check: 18 of 18 tracked offense classes have reportable values in this profile. Missing values are not converted to zero.
Public indicator mix
Chattanooga, Tennessee recorded 4,894 larceny-theft offenses in 2025, 64.5% of the 7,588 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 141 robbery reports (1.9%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Chattanooga, Tennessee recorded 1,027 aggravated assault offenses in 2025, 13.5% of the 7,588 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 141 robbery reports (1.9%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Chattanooga, Tennessee recorded 834 motor vehicle theft offenses in 2025, 11.0% of the 7,588 reports across its five public indicators, compared with 141 robbery reports (1.9%); this share covers only those five indicators, excluding other offense classes.
Chattanooga, Tennessee uses a reporting population of 182,832 residents and has values for 18 of the 18 tracked offense classes (100.0%) in its 2025 profile; coverage describes available classes rather than the share of residents reporting crime.
Chattanooga, Tennessee has an adjusted score of 13.97 points out of 100 versus 66.2 in Franklin, Tennessee, a difference of 52.23 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Chattanooga ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Chattanooga, Tennessee has an adjusted score of 13.97 points out of 100 versus 38.94 in Clarksville, Tennessee, a difference of 24.97 points below that displayed state peer in the 2025 source-year profile; Chattanooga ranks 5 of 6 scored jurisdictions in the published state comparison set.
Detailed Crime Class Breakdown
Additional tracked offense classes
- Homicide
- Rape
- Kidnapping/Abduction
- Human Trafficking
- Arson
- Theft From Building
- Theft From Motor Vehicle
- Simple Assault
- Intimidation
- Stolen Property Offenses
- Vandalism
- Weapon Law Violations
- Drug/Narcotic Violations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chattanooga safe compared to other places in Tennessee?
Chattanooga is classified as having low relative safety in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index. It has an adjusted safety score of 13.97 out of 100 and ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Tennessee.
What is the crime rate in Chattanooga?
Public offense rates are listed above.
What is Chattanooga's safety rating?
Chattanooga's safety rating in the 2026 Safety Atlas Index is 13.97 out of 100, which ranks #5 in this comparison set out of the 6 jurisdictions in the current scored comparison set in Tennessee. Its overall crime trajectory is currently classified as decreasing, using source-year data through 2025.
What is the safest neighborhood in Chattanooga?
This profile covers the reporting jurisdiction; consult local sources for neighborhood detail.
Why are some crime statistics locked for Chattanooga?
Full offense series: state workbook.
How fresh is the monthly crime data on this page?
Monthly figures track FBI CDE source year 2025, the same vintage as the annual table above. A new FBI release typically lags several months; the caption stamps the source year and export date. Values can revise when the FBI re-publishes. Full monthly series for Chattanooga are downloadable as JSON and CSV.
Why does the monthly chart move so much?
Monthly counts are small numbers, a difference of a few reports swings the bar. Reporting practice, staffing, and seasonal patterns all move single months. Read the 12-month direction in the trajectory line, not one bar. This profile measures the reporting jurisdiction only; it cannot rank neighborhoods within Chattanooga.
What does the clearance rate on this page mean?
It divides 2025 reports cleared by 2025 reports received for that offense, including clearances of earlier reports, so it is a workload snapshot, not a guarantee a given case is solved. In Chattanooga, violent offenses clear at far higher rates than property offenses (aggravated assault 28%, motor vehicle theft 4.9%). Monthly clearance detail is not published yet.
Reading notes
Safety Atlas methodology · 2026 coverage report
Cite This Public Safety Profile
Citation formats:
Primary Source Data Integrity
- Crime Counts: FBI National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) database.
- Demographics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimate boundaries.
- Methodology: Adjusted per-capita normalization with small-sample relief controls. View our complete Methodology Documentation.