North Charleston, SC Property Crime Rates and Maps
North Charleston is the third-largest city in South Carolina, with 108,100 residents in Charleston County, about 11 miles northwest of downtown Charleston · Updated November 2026
How common is property crime in North Charleston?
North Charleston grades B- for property crime, with more of it than the neighborhoods where 75% of Americans live. Theft makes up 62% of it. Burglary, the crime most likely to reach into a home, grades B, and vehicle theft grades B.
B-
Property crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 585 of 1,000More property crime than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
25% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more property crime than North Charleston as a whole, and 75% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a property crime safety score of 823, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. North Charleston scores 585.
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 North Charleston, SC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in North Charleston, 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 North Charleston
Theft at more than double the US rate. North Charleston has 34.9 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, against 13.1 nationally.
Car thefts happen at homes more often than nationally. In North Charleston, 51% of reported car thefts happen at homes, against 33% nationally.
Where property crime is lowest and highest in North Charleston
Most of North Charleston grades well for property crime: 54% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 14% in areas graded D or F. Property crime grades across North Charleston run from A+ to F.
54%32%14%
A or B 54%C 32%D or F 14%
Share of residents, by the property crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Is property crime going up in North Charleston?
Reported property crime in North Charleston has fallen 35% since 2019. Burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts went from about 59 to 38 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 18). In 2024 alone, property crime fell 18%.
Property crime, change since 2019
North CharlestonUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police agencies that serve North Charleston. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Property, North Charleston
Property, US
2016
-5%
+15%
2017
-6%
+12%
2018
-2%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
-12%
-8%
2021
-13%
-10%
2022
-19%
-6%
2023
-22%
-7%
2024
-35%
-15%
Property crime rates and types in North Charleston
CrimeGrade™ estimates North Charleston has about 57 reported property crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, more than double the rate for the US as a whole and about double the rate for South 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 North Charleston, about 62% of the total, followed by vandalism and vehicle theft.
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 North Charleston
North Charleston has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In North Charleston, 56% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (56%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (51%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (50%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (52%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Property crime in North Charleston and nearby cities
North Charleston has the most property crime of its 8 nearest cities.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from North Charleston. 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, North Charleston has more property crime than 90% of them.
Among the traits that tend to go with property crime, two set North Charleston apart: it has 97 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 18.8 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally. Places like that tend to report more theft, and it runs high here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft.97 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 96% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.18.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 95% of US city residents
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. 76% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D+ (20 of 100)US: 21Higher than for 60% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.3.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Higher than for 87% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.9.5% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 84% 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 North Charleston: D+ (19 of 100).2 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 57% 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 North Charleston
Property crime costs North Charleston about $42 million a year, or $391 per resident and about $1,016 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
$3.6 million
$34
Theft
$19 million
$179
Vehicle theft
$9.7 million
$90
Arson
$470,000
$4
Vandalism
$9.1 million
$84
Total
$42 million
$391
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.
