Lake Royale is an unincorporated community of 3,400 in Franklin County, about 30 miles northeast of downtown Raleigh · Updated November 2026
Is Lake Royale, NC safe?
Yes, crime in Lake Royale is low, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of A. Because most US neighborhoods are safe as well, Lake Royale sits near the middle: safer than the neighborhoods where 58% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A here. Its neighborhoods are much alike, from A+ to A-; see the map below.
A
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 872 of 1,000About as safe as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
58% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Lake Royale as a whole, and 42% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Lake Royale scores 872.
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 Lake Royale, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Lake Royale, 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
Crime rates and types in Lake Royale
CrimeGrade™ estimates Lake Royale has about 25 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 32% less than the US as a whole and 38% 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 Lake Royale, about 33% 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.
How Lake Royale compares with nearby cities
Lake Royale has the least crime of its 3 nearest cities.
Jobs, night lighting and walkability in Lake Royale
Two things set Lake Royale apart: it has 3 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and a Walk Grade of F (1 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole. Places like that tend to report less theft and robbery, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.3 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 99% 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.NoneUS: 78%Lower than for 99% 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 (1 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 99% of US city residents
Show all 6
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.0.1 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.2.9 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 98% of US city residents
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson.12.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 94% 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 Lake Royale
Crime costs Lake Royale about $616 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, 49% 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 $3.2 million a year, or $925 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$250,000
$73
Rape
$51,000
$15
Robbery
$5,800
$2
Assault
$240,000
$70
Burglary
$53,000
$15
Theft
$140,000
$43
Vehicle theft
$41,000
$12
Arson
$6,300
$2
Vandalism
$180,000
$51
Total
$960,000
$283
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 Lake Royale 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 Lake Royale, NC average a SchoolGrade of C: 52% of students test proficient, against 42% projected for schools like them. Overall, they exceed expectations. See schools in Lake Royale on SchoolGrade
