The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Cherokee County, SC: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Cherokee County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Cherokee County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Cherokee County, SC Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

D

Overall Crime Grade™

D
D+
Other Crime Grade
D-

$38.6 million

Cost of Crime™ for Cherokee County, SC

In 2025, crime will cost $1,727 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Cherokee County 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 Cherokee County, SC Safe?

The D overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Cherokee County's combined rate is higher than the norm. Cherokee County sits in the 22nd percentile, ahead of 22% of counties and behind 78%. The grade covers only Cherokee County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Cherokee County is 42.80 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northwest part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 15 in the central areas to 1 in 41 in the northwest.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the central parts of Cherokee County, SC report the most crime, about 568 cases per year. The north part reports the fewest, around 71 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Cherokee County, SC

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Cherokee County for 2025 is $38,561,382, about $671 per resident and $1,727 per household. That equals 2.5% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 54.9%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.2%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.9%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Cherokee County Compared to Other Counties?

Cherokee County, SC: $671
Richland County, SC: $986
Berkeley County, SC: $435
South Carolina: $666
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Cherokee County is $671 per year, which is $207 more than the national average and $5 more than South Carolina's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Cherokee County:
  • In Richland County, SC, crime costs $986 per person, which is $315 more than in Cherokee County.
  • In Berkeley County, SC, crime costs $435 per person, which is $236 less than in Cherokee County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Cherokee County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Cherokee County
Cost per Cherokee County Resident
Murder
$12.6 million
$219
Rape/Sexual Assault
$2.44 million
$42
Robbery
$641,220
$11
Assault
$7.53 million
$131
Kidnapping
$709,375
$12
Vehicle Theft
$619,837
$11
Burglary
$2.55 million
$44
Theft
$4.35 million
$76
Arson
$196,376
$3
Vandalism
$3.01 million
$52
Animal Cruelty
$37,450
$1
Drug Crimes
$3.31 million
$58
Identity Theft
$597,047
$10
Total Cost of Crime
$38,561,382
$671

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Cherokee County, SC

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 Cherokee County totals $97,090,869 ($1,689 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $135,652,251 ($2,360 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 west part of the county holds more 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, of which Cherokee County has 2, do the same, and of Cherokee County's 57,490 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 Cherokee County, SC at ISP Reports.

Cherokee County 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 Cherokee County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
4.563
Robbery
0.3546
Rape
0.7007
Murder
0.1164
Total Violent Crime
5.734 (D)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
14.61
Vehicle Theft
0.6963
Burglary
4.887
Arson
0.1414
Total Property Crime
20.33 (D+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.2035
Drug Crimes
7.775
Vandalism
7.321
Identity Theft
1.342
Animal Cruelty
0.0881
Total "Other" Rate
16.73 (D-)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Cherokee County is higher. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Cherokee County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C-
C
C-
D+
D+
C-
C
C+
C+
D
D
D+
C
C
C-
B
B+
A-
C
B-
C
B-
B+
C+
D+
D-
D+
D
C
D+

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Cherokee County is higher versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C+
C+
C+
C
D
D
B
B+
B+
B+
B+
B+
C-
C
C
D
D+
D+
C-
D+
D+
A-
A-
A-
D+
C-
C-
D+
D+
D+

Considering only the crime rate, Cherokee County is as safe as the South Carolina state average and less safe than the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Cherokee County, SC average SchoolGrade of C, with 36% actual proficiency versus 34% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Cherokee County 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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Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 3 hours 33 minutes in Cherokee County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Cherokee County, SC

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.