The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Elizabeth City, NC
Elizabeth City is a city of 36,700 in Pasquotank County, about 35 miles south of downtown Virginia Beach · Updated November 2026
Is Elizabeth City, NC safe?
Mostly, yes. Crime in Elizabeth City is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A-, but most US neighborhoods are safer still: Elizabeth City has more crime than the neighborhoods where 61% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A- against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Elizabeth City run from A+ to D-, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
A-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 773 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
39% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Elizabeth City as a whole, and 61% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Elizabeth City scores 773.
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 crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime 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 Elizabeth City, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Elizabeth City, 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 in Elizabeth City
Car thefts run high in Historic Elizabeth City. In this part of central Elizabeth City, they run at more than triple the rate in the rest of Elizabeth City.
Burglaries run high for an A-graded city. Elizabeth City has 3.6 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents; for the typical resident of an A-graded US city, the figure is 1.2.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Elizabeth City
Low crime is the norm across Elizabeth City: 79% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 11% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Elizabeth City run from A+ to D-; 57% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
79%10%11%
A or B 79%C 10%D or F 11%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Riverside, southeastThefts run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Elizabeth City.A-827
2Sawyertown, northBurglaries run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Elizabeth City.B627
3Historic Elizabeth City, centralBurglaries run at about triple the rate in the rest of Elizabeth City.C397
Neighborhood areas of Elizabeth City, ranked by overall 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 crime going up in Elizabeth City?
Reported crime in Elizabeth City has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 31% and property crime down 44%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 5.0 to 3.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 43 to 24 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 27%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Elizabeth CityUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Elizabeth City. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Elizabeth City
Violent, US
Property, Elizabeth City
Property, US
2016
+44%
+4%
+12%
+15%
2017
+52%
+4%
+10%
+12%
2018
+13%
+0%
+24%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-14%
+4%
-25%
-8%
2021
-16%
+6%
-44%
-10%
2022
+6%
+5%
-34%
-6%
2023
-6%
+2%
-43%
-7%
2024
-31%
-4%
-44%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Elizabeth City
CrimeGrade™ estimates Elizabeth City has about 36 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and close to North Carolina.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
Assault is the most common crime in Elizabeth City, about 29% of everything reported.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. 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 crime happens in Elizabeth City
Elizabeth City has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Elizabeth City, 62% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at homes: 39% of them, against 34% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (62%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Car theft
Homes (58%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (39%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (44%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (54%)
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.
How Elizabeth City compares with nearby cities
Elizabeth City has the most crime of its 4 nearest cities.
Empty homes, transit and walkability in Elizabeth City
Two things set Elizabeth City apart: it has 9.9% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and 5% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.9.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 85% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Elizabeth City: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% 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 and assault. 84% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (13 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 65% of US city residents
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.13.8 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher 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.65% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 80% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.5% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 75% 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 crime costs Elizabeth City
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Elizabeth City about $1,337 a year per household, 11% more than the US figure of $1,205.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost comes to about $70 million a year, or $1,911 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$5.9 million
$160
Rape
$770,000
$21
Robbery
$390,000
$11
Assault
$4.8 million
$131
Burglary
$1.2 million
$33
Theft
$1.9 million
$52
Vehicle theft
$1.1 million
$30
Arson
$160,000
$4
Vandalism
$2.2 million
$61
Total
$18 million
$502
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Elizabeth City means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
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.
Schools in Elizabeth City, NC average a SchoolGrade of B-: 57% of students test proficient, against 42% projected for schools like them. Overall, they greatly exceed expectations. See schools in Elizabeth City on SchoolGrade
