The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in North Carolina: Crime Maps and Statistics

C-

Overall Crime Grade™

Violent Crime Grade	C-
Property Crime Grade	C-
Other Crime Grade	D+

Which crimes are included?

$5.8 billion

Cost of Crime™ for North Carolina

In 2025, crime will cost $1,364 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of North Carolina 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 North Carolina Safe?

The C- overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US state, where North Carolina's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. North Carolina sits in the 33rd percentile, ahead of 33% of states and behind 67%. The grade covers only North Carolina's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby states.

The overall crime rate in North Carolina is 36.55 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the central part of the state the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 23 in the south cities to 1 in 36 in the central.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the north parts of North Carolina report the most crime, about 79,114 cases per year. The northwest part reports the fewest, around 15,288 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in North Carolina

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in North Carolina for 2025 is $5,797,436,485, about $538 per resident and $1,364 per household. That equals 1.3% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:

Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 55.2%
Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 33.2%
Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 11.5%

How Much Does Crime Cost in North Carolina Compared to Other States?

North Carolina:	$538
New Mexico:	$835
New Jersey:	$240
USA:	$464

The overall cost of crime per resident in North Carolina is $538 per year, which is $74 more than the national average. The comparison below uses states similar to North Carolina:

In New Mexico, crime costs $835 per person, which is $297 more than in North Carolina.
In New Jersey, crime costs $240 per person, which is $298 less than in North Carolina

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of North Carolina for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.

Crime	Cost to North Carolina	Cost per North Carolina Resident
Murder	$1.8 billion	$162
Rape/Sexual Assault	$345.5 million	$32
Robbery	$180.3 million	$17
Assault	$927.8 million	$86
Kidnapping	$108.4 million	$10
Vehicle Theft	$345.4 million	$32
Burglary	$347.9 million	$32
Theft	$799.6 million	$74
Arson	$36.2 million	$3
Vandalism	$446.4 million	$41
Animal Cruelty	$5.08 million	$0
Drug Crimes	$458.7 million	$43
Identity Theft	$45.8 million	$4
Total Cost of Crime	$5,797,436,485	$538

The Intangible Cost of Crime in North Carolina

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 North Carolina totals $13,568,571,869 ($1,259 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $19,366,008,353 ($1,796 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 north part of the state 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, of which North Carolina has 2, draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which North Carolina has 1,671, do the same, and of North Carolina's 10,781,294 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 North Carolina at ISP Reports.

North Carolina 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 North Carolina residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Assault	2.996
Robbery	0.5315
Rape	0.5285
Murder	0.0864
Total Violent Crime	4.143 (C-)

Property Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Theft	14.32
Vehicle Theft	2.069
Burglary	3.558
Arson	0.1392
Total Property Crime	20.09 (C-)

Other Crime Rates

Crime Type	Crime Rate
Kidnapping	0.1658
Drug Crimes	5.752
Vandalism	5.796
Identity Theft	0.5489
Animal Cruelty	0.0637
Total "Other" Rate	12.33 (D+)

Individual North Carolina Crime Maps & Stats

Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby States

Compared to surrounding states, the rate of crime in North Carolina is similar. The table below shows Crime Grades for states close to North Carolina.

Nearby State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
South Carolina	D-	D	D
Virginia	B-	B+	B-
West Virginia	A-	B+	A
District of Columbia	F	F	F
Georgia	B-	C+	B
Maryland	C	C-	C+
Kentucky	B-	A-	B
Delaware	D	C-	C-
Tennessee	D	D-	D
Pennsylvania	A	A-	A-

Crime Maps and Rates for State with Similar Populations

North Carolina is higher versus other states of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in states with comparable overall population in the state‘s boundaries.

Similar State	Overall Crime Grade	Violent Crime Grade	Property Crime Grade
Tennessee	D	D-	D-
Maine	A	A+	A+
Massachusetts	A+	C+	C+
Michigan	B	D+	D+
Minnesota	C	B	B
Mississippi	A+	A+	A+
Puerto Rico	F	F	F
Rhode Island	A	A	A
South Dakota	C	C	C
Alaska	C+	F	F

Considering only the crime rate, North Carolina is as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in North Carolina average SchoolGrade of B, with 47% actual proficiency versus 39% projected; overall, schools greatly exceed expectations. See North Carolina 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.

Crime By Zip Code Download

Our proprietary data is available for download by zip code or by state in a CSV Flat File. Please visit our download page for pricing and terms.

Download CSV

Home Security

A crime occurs on average every 1 minute in North Carolina. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in North Carolina

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.