The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Balsam, NC: Crime Maps and Statistics

B-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C+
Property Crime Grade	B
Other Crime Grade	C

Which crimes are included?

$283,449

Cost of Crime™ for Balsam, NC

In 2025, crime will cost $781 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Balsam with the least crime overall and red marks the most. Each area is weighted by the type and severity of every offense, so a place with rare but serious violent crime can grade differently from one with frequent petty theft. The Interpreting the Crime Maps section below explains how to read the colors.

Is Balsam, NC Safe?

The B- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US city, where Balsam's combined rate is slightly lower than the norm. Balsam sits in the 60th percentile, ahead of 60% of cities and behind 40%. The grade covers only Balsam's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby cities.

The overall crime rate in Balsam is 20.82 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the north part of the city the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 38 in the southeast neighborhoods to 1 in 52 in the north.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the north parts of Balsam, NC report the most crime, about 5 cases per year. The southeast part reports the fewest, around 0 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Balsam, NC

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Balsam for 2025 is $283,449, about $376 per resident and $781 per household. That equals 0.8% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.7%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.5%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.7%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Balsam Compared to Other Cities?

Balsam, NC:	$376
Enfield, NC:	$1641
St. James, NC:	$251
North Carolina:	$538
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Balsam is $376 per year, which is $88 less than the national average and $162 less than North Carolina's state average. The comparison below uses cities similar to Balsam:

In Enfield, NC, crime costs $1,641 per person, which is $1,266 more than in Balsam.
In St. James, NC, crime costs $251 per person, which is $125 less than in Balsam

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Balsam for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to Balsam	Cost per Balsam Resident
Murder	$94,295	$125
Rape/Sexual Assault	$27,054	$36
Robbery	$10,005	$13
Assault	$42,555	$56
Kidnapping	$9,135	$12
Vehicle Theft	$8,160	$11
Burglary	$23,871	$32
Theft	$19,261	$26
Arson	$3,794	$5
Vandalism	$20,704	$27
Animal Cruelty	$300	$0
Drug Crimes	$23,060	$31
Identity Theft	$1,254	$2
Total Cost of Crime	$283,449	$376

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Balsam, NC

The totals above count tangible costs only. Violent crime also carries a human cost, the pain and trauma borne by victims and their families, which research-based methods estimate so it can be compared across places. That intangible cost in Balsam totals $769,798 ($1,021 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $1,053,247 ($1,397 per resident). All Cost of Crime figures come from scholarly research on the cost of crime. Read more about our methodology here.

Interpreting the Crime Maps

Crime rates on the map are measured per resident, so areas with heavy visitor traffic can read high because crime follows crowds, even where few people live. The city holds few retail establishments, which lifts recorded crime around those blocks. A red area does not always mean the neighborhood is unsafe for residents.

Airports, parks, and transit hubs create the same effect. Major airports draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas do the same, and of Balsam's 754 residents few live beside them. Before assuming an area is unsafe, weigh both the per-capita rate and the total number of incidents, and note what sits nearby.

The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Balsam, NC at ISP Reports.

Balsam Crime Breakdown

The tables below show which crimes are used to calculate the Crime Grades above. All crime rates are shown as the number of crimes per 1,000 Balsam residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	1.965
Robbery	0.4219
Rape	0.5918
Murder	0.0665
Total Violent Crime	3.045 (C+)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	4.932
Vehicle Theft	0.6989
Burglary	3.491
Arson	0.2084
Total Property Crime	9.330 (B)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1998
Drug Crimes	4.135
Vandalism	3.844
Identity Theft	0.2149
Animal Cruelty	0.0539
Total "Other" Rate	8.447 (C)

Individual Balsam Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Cities

Compared to surrounding cities, the rate of crime in Balsam is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for cities close to Balsam.

Nearby City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Maggie Valley, NC	C-	B	C
Cove Creek, NC	B-	B	B+
Waynesville, NC	C-	C-	C
East Laport, NC	D+	C-	C-
Sylva, NC	D	C-	D
Webster, NC	F	D-	F
Lake Junaluska, NC	C+	B-	C+
Airport, NC	F	D-	F
Dillsboro, NC	D-	D	D-
Worley, NC	C+	C	B

Crime Maps and Rates for City with Similar Populations

Balsam is lower versus other cities of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in cities with comparable overall population in the city‘s boundaries.

Similar City	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Shoto, WI	A-	B+	B+
Sprague, WA	D-	D	D
Newtown, KY	B+	A	A
New Freeport, PA	A+	A	A
Mount Vernon Club Place, CO	D+	D+	D+
Kirkwood, DE	C	A+	A+
Smithfield, IL	B+	B	B
Hale, MO	D+	F	F
Olcott, NY	B-	A	A
Harrodsburg, IN	B	B+	B+

Considering only the crime rate, Balsam is safer than the North Carolina state average and safer than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Balsam, NC average SchoolGrade of A, with 65% actual proficiency versus 59% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See Balsam schools on SchoolGrade

About the Data

CrimeGrade.org provides highly detailed and accurate crime data, used by insurance companies, home security firms, and other industries. Our data is available for licensing—learn more about our USA crime data and licensing.

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All maps and statistics above are projections, not certainties, and provided without guarantee free of charge. Verify all info before making any decisions based on the data.