Crime in Elon College, NC

Elon College is a community of 6,760 in Alamance County, about 7 miles northwest of downtown Burlington · Updated November 2026

Is Elon College, NC safe?

Yes. Most US neighborhoods have little crime, and Elon College has less than most of them: its overall CrimeGrade™ is A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A+ against A. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Elon College run from A+ to B, so check the map below.

A+
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 930 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

78% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Elon College as a whole, and 22% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Elon College scores 930.

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.

A
Violent crimeSafety score 920 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A+
Property crimeSafety score 944 of 1,000Less property crime than most US neighborhoods

How it works


Crime map of Elon College

Map of Elon College shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Elon College, NC at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Elon College, 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 Elon College

Theft runs low. Elon College has 4.6 thefts a year per 1,000 residents, less than half the US rate of 13.1.


Crime rates and types in Elon College

CrimeGrade™ estimates Elon College has about 22 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 41% less than the US as a whole and 46% less than 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.

The largest share of crime reported in Elon College is assault, about 49% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 10.040.05
RapeA+20.260.38
RobberyA+under 10.080.62
AssaultA7310.712.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+111.62.4
TheftA314.613.1
Vehicle theftA+50.762.7
ArsonA+under 10.100.12
VandalismA+243.65.5

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.


How Elon College compares with nearby cities

Elon College has the least crime of its 6 nearest cities.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Elon CollegeA+930AA+6,760
Gibsonville 5 milesA901AA14,200
Elon 5 milesA887AA10,300
Burlington 6 milesB653B-B+76,100
Greensboro 19 milesC+499CB-323,100
Show all 6
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Green Level 9 milesB670B-A-4,130
Sedalia 9 milesA884AA+1,290

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Elon College. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Elon College has more crime than 56% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Elon CollegeA+930AA+6,760
Portola Valley, CAA+940A+A6,760
Frankfort, NYA+931A+A+6,770
York Haven, PAA+927A+A6,770
Ozark, ARA923AA+6,760
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Jasper, TNA922AA+6,760
Linglestown, PAA917AA6,760
Elba, ALA874AA6,760
Atascosa, TXA852AA-6,760
Keaau, HIA-846AA-6,770
Homeland Park, SCC-365D+C+6,770

Density, walkability and jobs in Elon College

Two things set Elon College apart: it has a Walk Grade of F (2 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 10 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and assault, and they run low here.

Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.NoneUS: 24%Lower than for 97% 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. 100% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (2 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 97% of US city residents
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.10 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 97% 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.15.4% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 97% 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.27% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 94% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.4.7 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 93% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Elon College on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Elon College

Crime costs Elon College about $642 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 47% less 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 $7.2 million a year, or $1,062 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$550,000$81
Rape$110,000$16
Robbery$17,000$2
Assault$760,000$112
Burglary$98,000$14
Theft$160,000$24
Vehicle theft$79,000$12
Arson$17,000$2
Vandalism$170,000$26
Total$2.0 million$289

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 Elon College 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Elon College

Schools in Elon College, NC average a SchoolGrade of D: 46% of students test proficient, against 42% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in Elon College on SchoolGrade