The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Saluda County, SC: Crime Maps and Statistics

Crime per Capita in Saluda County

This overview combines violent, property, and other offenses into a single grade for Saluda County. The dedicated violent crime and property crime pages go deeper on each. The map below shows the overall crime rate per 1,000 residents.

 

Saluda County, SC Map of Crime Rates
Click the map to explore
A+ B C D F
Safest Highest crime
Colorblind friendly off

C

Overall Crime Grade™

C
C+
Other Crime Grade
D+

$10.2 million

Cost of Crime™ for Saluda County, SC

In 2025, crime will cost $1,416 per household.

More cost data

On the map, green marks the parts of Saluda County 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 Saluda County, SC Safe?

The C overall grade blends the violent, property, and other grades shown above into one measure, set against the average US county, where Saluda County's combined rate is slightly higher than the norm. Saluda County sits in the 43rd percentile, ahead of 43% of counties and behind 57%. The grade covers only Saluda County's official city boundaries. See the table below for nearby counties.

The overall crime rate in Saluda County is 32.76 per 1,000 residents in a typical year. Residents generally consider the northeast part of the county the safest. Your chance of being a victim ranges from 1 in 24 in the west areas to 1 in 44 in the northeast.

Counting total incidents instead of per-capita rates, the west parts of Saluda County, SC report the most crime, about 190 cases per year. The southwest part reports the fewest, around 25 per year.

The Cost of Crime™ in Saluda County, SC

Across all crime types, the projected cost of crime in Saluda County for 2025 is $10,151,023, about $566 per resident and $1,416 per household. That equals 1.9% of the median household income. These figures cover tangible costs, which include:
  1. Criminal justice system costs (law enforcement, courts, and imprisonment): 53.6%
  2. Direct costs to victims (damaged property, medical expenses, and lost wages): 34.1%
  3. Lost economic contribution from offenders (time in prison or repeat offenses): 12.3%

How Much Does Crime Cost in Saluda County Compared to Other Counties?

Saluda County, SC: $566
Richland County, SC: $986
Berkeley County, SC: $435
South Carolina: $666
USA: $464

The overall cost of crime per resident in Saluda County is $566 per year, which is $101 more than the national average and $100 less than South Carolina's state average. The comparison below uses counties similar to Saluda County:
  • In Richland County, SC, crime costs $986 per person, which is $420 more than in Saluda County.
  • In Berkeley County, SC, crime costs $435 per person, which is $131 less than in Saluda County

2025 Projected Cost by Type of Crime

The table below shows the total cost of crime to the residents of Saluda County for the year 2025 along with the projected cost per resident.
Crime
Cost to Saluda County
Cost per Saluda County Resident
Murder
$3.83 million
$214
Rape/Sexual Assault
$819,396
$46
Robbery
$259,367
$14
Assault
$1.31 million
$73
Kidnapping
$223,243
$12
Vehicle Theft
$228,569
$13
Burglary
$793,119
$44
Theft
$921,659
$51
Arson
$69,796
$4
Vandalism
$678,614
$38
Animal Cruelty
$12,294
$1
Drug Crimes
$941,382
$52
Identity Theft
$60,857
$3
Total Cost of Crime
$10,151,023
$566

The Intangible Cost of Crime in Saluda County, SC

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 Saluda County totals $29,741,598 ($1,657 per resident), and all of it comes from violent crime rather than property loss. Added to the tangible costs, the full estimate reaches $39,892,621 ($2,223 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 west part of the county 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 draw large crowds with few residents nearby, so they read as high-crime spots. Parks and recreational areas, of which Saluda County has 3, do the same, and of Saluda County's 17,949 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 Saluda County, SC at ISP Reports.

Saluda County 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 Saluda County residents in a standard year.

Violent Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Assault
2.542
Robbery
0.4594
Rape
0.7529
Murder
0.1136
Total Violent Crime
3.868 (C)
 
 

 


Property Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Theft
9.915
Vehicle Theft
0.8224
Burglary
4.872
Arson
0.1610
Total Property Crime
15.77 (C+)
 
 

 


Other Crime Rates

Crime Type
Crime Rate
Kidnapping
0.2051
Drug Crimes
7.090
Vandalism
5.292
Identity Theft
0.4381
Animal Cruelty
0.0926
Total "Other" Rate
13.12 (D+)

 


Crime Maps and Rates for Nearby Counties

Compared to surrounding counties, the rate of crime in Saluda County is lower. The table below shows Crime Grades for counties close to Saluda County.

Nearby County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C+
C-
B-
D-
D-
D-
C-
C
C-
D+
D
D+
C-
D+
C-
F
D-
F
F
D-
D-
A+
A
A
F
F
D-
B-
B
C-

Crime Maps and Rates for County with Similar Populations

Saluda County is similar versus other counties of the same size for crime. The table below compares crime in counties with comparable overall population in the county‘s boundaries.

Similar County
Overall Crime Grade
Violent Crime Grade
Property Crime Grade
C-
D+
D+
A+
A+
A+
C+
B+
B+
A
A
A
D-
D-
D-
F
D-
D-
B-
C
C
B+
A+
A+
B-
A-
A-
C+
C-
C-

Considering only the crime rate, Saluda County is safer than the South Carolina state average and as safe as the national average.

Safety and school performance are separate topics, but both shape moving decisions. Using SchoolGrade data, schools in Saluda County, SC average SchoolGrade of C, with 34% actual proficiency versus 32% projected; overall, schools exceed expectations. See Saluda County 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 14 hours 53 minutes in Saluda County. Want to protect your home?

Home Security Companies in Saluda County, SC

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.