Matthews is a town of 50,600 in Mecklenburg County, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Charlotte · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in Matthews?
Property crime in Matthews sits near the national middle: a B+, with more property crime than the neighborhoods where 60% of Americans live. Theft makes up 65% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B+, and vehicle theft grades A-.
B+
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 758 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
40% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than Matthews as a whole, and 60% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Matthews scores 758.
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 Matthews, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Matthews, 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 Matthews
One part of Matthews stands out for vehicle theft. Car thefts in Idlewild South, in northwest Matthews, run at more than triple the rate in the rest of the city.
Thefts from cars happen in the morning far more often than nationally. In Matthews, 46% of reported thefts from cars happen in the morning (6 am to noon), against 23% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in Matthews
Low property crime is the norm across Matthews: 87% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 4% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across Matthews run from A to F.
87%
A or B 87%C 9%D or F 4%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Providence Estates East, southwestThefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Matthews.A881
2Hembstead, westBurglaries run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Matthews.A-828
3Marshbrooke & East Forest, northCar thefts run about 70% higher here than in the rest of Matthews.B684
4Idlewild South, northwestThefts run at about double the rate in the rest of Matthews.C+485
Neighborhood areas of Matthews, ranked by property crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is property crime going up in Matthews?
Reported property crime in Matthews has fallen 22% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 33 to 26 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 11%.
Property crime, change since 2019
MatthewsUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Matthews. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, Matthews
Property, US
2016
+2%
+15%
2017
-6%
+12%
2018
-13%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+10%
-8%
2021
+5%
-10%
2022
-13%
-6%
2023
-13%
-7%
2024
-22%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in Matthews
CrimeGrade™ estimates Matthews has about 26 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 10% more than the US as a whole and close to 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 Matthews, about 65% of the total, followed by vandalism and burglary.
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 Matthews
Matthews has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Matthews, 40% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Car thefts happen most often in parking lots and garages: 47% of them, against 23% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (40%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Car theft
Parking lots and garages (47%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Theft from cars
Parking lots and garages (52%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Vandalism
Stores and businesses (26%)
Morning (6 am to noon)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in Matthews and nearby cities
Of the 10 cities closest to Matthews, 8 have less property crime. Weddington and Marvin have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Matthews. Beside each property crime CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with cities of similar size and density, Matthews has more property crime than 90% of them.
Walkability, transit and night lighting in Matthews
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set Matthews apart: it has a Walk Grade of D- (8 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 8 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places that are hard to get around on foot tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
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.D- (8 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 83% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Matthews: D- (9 of 100).8 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 81% of US city residents
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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 69% of US city residents
Show all 6
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.4.3% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 69% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more car theft.8% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 67% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.11.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 64% of US city residents
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 Matthews
Property crime costs Matthews about $8.8 million a year, or $175 per resident and about $473 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
$1.4 million
$29
Theft
$4.4 million
$88
Vehicle theft
$1.6 million
$31
Arson
$42,000
$1
Vandalism
$1.4 million
$27
Total
$8.8 million
$175
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.
