The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Kannapolis, NC
Kannapolis is a city of 65,700 in Cabarrus County, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Charlotte · Updated November 2026
Is Kannapolis, NC safe?
With an overall CrimeGrade™ of B+, Kannapolis has moderate crime by national standards. Most US neighborhoods have less: 63% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, A- against B+. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Kannapolis run from A+ to D+, so check the map or the safest and least safe neighborhoods below.
B+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 755 of 1,000Less safe than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
37% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Kannapolis as a whole, and 63% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Kannapolis scores 755.
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 Kannapolis, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Kannapolis, 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 Kannapolis
One part of Kannapolis stands out for vehicle theft. Car thefts in Car Town, in central Kannapolis, run at more than double the rate in the rest of the city.
Thefts from cars happen at homes far more often than nationally. In Kannapolis, 61% of reported thefts from cars happen at homes, against 34% nationally.
The safest and most dangerous neighborhoods in Kannapolis
Low crime is the norm across Kannapolis: 83% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 4% in areas graded D or F. Grades across Kannapolis run from A+ to D+; 30% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
83%13%
A or B 83%C 13%D or F 4%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Kellswater Bridge, southwestCar thefts run at less than half the rate in the rest of Kannapolis.A901
2Old Earnhardt & Harbour Towne, southeastBurglaries run about 40% higher here than in the rest of Kannapolis.B+730
3Rainbow Drive, westClose to the rest of Kannapolis on most crimes.B+720
4Car Town, centralBurglaries run at more than double the rate in the rest of Kannapolis.C422
Neighborhood areas of Kannapolis, 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 Kannapolis?
Reported crime in Kannapolis has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 37% and property crime down 22%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.7 to 1.7 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 23 to 18 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 21%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
KannapolisUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police agencies that serve Kannapolis. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Kannapolis
Violent, US
Property, Kannapolis
Property, US
2016
-8%
+4%
-14%
+15%
2017
-32%
+4%
-12%
+12%
2018
-9%
+0%
-15%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
-15%
+4%
+16%
-8%
2021
-8%
+6%
-5%
-10%
2022
-30%
+5%
-14%
-6%
2023
-20%
+2%
-17%
-7%
2024
-37%
-4%
-22%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Kannapolis
CrimeGrade™ estimates Kannapolis has about 29 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 21% less than the US as a whole and 28% 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.
Theft is the most common crime in Kannapolis, about 48% 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 Kannapolis
Kannapolis has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Kannapolis, 61% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Homes (61%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Homes (54%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Theft from cars
Homes (61%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Homes (54%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Robbery
Stores and businesses (41%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (61%)
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 Kannapolis compares with nearby cities
Of the 9 cities closest to Kannapolis, 8 have less crime. Flows Store and Davidson have the least.
Empty homes, walkability and density in Kannapolis
Two things set Kannapolis apart: it has 10.1% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally, and a Walk Grade of D- (10 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. 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.10.1% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 86% 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. 92% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (10 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 77% 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
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.30 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 71% 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.82% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 70% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.9.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 62% 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 Kannapolis
Crime costs Kannapolis about $1,150 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, about the same as 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 $112 million a year, or $1,706 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$11 million
$169
Rape
$1.2 million
$19
Robbery
$500,000
$8
Assault
$4.7 million
$72
Burglary
$1.3 million
$20
Theft
$4.8 million
$73
Vehicle theft
$2.3 million
$35
Arson
$110,000
$2
Vandalism
$1.8 million
$28
Total
$28 million
$423
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 Kannapolis 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. Kannapolis is the other kind of example: few people work in, shop in or visit it, so its crime per resident looks lower than its CrimeGrade™ suggests.
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 Kannapolis, NC average a SchoolGrade of C+: 56% of students test proficient, against 49% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Kannapolis on SchoolGrade
