Avery County is home to 17,700 residents and includes Banner Elk and Newland · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Avery County?
Avery County has less property crime than most US neighborhoods: an A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 79% of Americans live. Theft makes up 37% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades A-, and vehicle theft grades A+.
A+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 931 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
79% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Avery County as a whole, and 21% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Avery County scores 931.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more property crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its property crime with the homes, parked cars and people there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Avery County, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Avery County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out about property crime in Avery County
Burglaries run above the US rate. Avery County has less property crime than the US as a whole, 22% below the US rate, but more burglaries: 6.2 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.4 nationally.
Theft runs low. Avery County has 6.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, about half the US rate of 13.1.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Avery County
Every part of Avery County where people live grades A or B for property crime on the national scale. Property crime grades across Avery County run from A+ to A-.
100%
A or B 100%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Property crime rates and types in Avery County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Avery County has about 19 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 22% less than the US as a whole and 29% less than North Carolina.
All property crime
Burglary
Vehicle theft
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Property crime here includes vandalism, which the FBI's property crime rate leaves out.
Theft is the most common property crime in Avery County, about 37% of the total, followed by burglary and vandalism.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a property crime with what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for vehicle theft, people and parking for theft, homes and businesses for vandalism. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when property crime happens in Avery County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Avery County, 2022 to 2024.
In Avery County, 69% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (69%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Vandalism
Homes (47%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Avery County and nearby counties
Avery County has less property crime than 5 of its 10 nearest counties.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Avery County. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with counties of similar size and density, Avery County has more property crime than 84% of them.
Shops, empty homes and walkability in Avery County
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Avery County apart: it has 16.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 15.5% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, yet theft runs lower here than that would suggest.
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.16.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 98% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.15.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (5 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 96% of Americans
Show all 6
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.23% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 96% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Avery County: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.38 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 64% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What property crime costs Avery County
Property crime costs Avery County about $2.5 million a year, or $140 per resident and about $361 per household: the value of what is stolen or damaged, plus the police, courts and prisons that respond.
Cost of property crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering add little to the cost of property crime, so this is close to its full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Burglary
$980,000
$55
Theft
$630,000
$36
Vehicle theft
$260,000
$15
Arson
$58,000
$3
Vandalism
$550,000
$31
Total
$2.5 million
$140
How CrimeGrade™ works
The property crime CrimeGrade™ covers burglary, theft, car theft, arson and vandalism, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each property crime against what it affects: homes for burglary and arson, parked cars for car theft, and the people and parking around stores for theft.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
