The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in St. Andrews, SC
St. Andrews is an unincorporated community of 22,600 in Richland County, about 5 miles northwest of downtown Columbia · Updated November 2026
Is St. Andrews, SC safe?
Crime in St. Andrews is high, with an overall CrimeGrade™ of D-. Most US neighborhoods have far less: 92% of Americans live in neighborhoods with less crime than St. Andrews. Property crime grades better than violent crime here, C against F. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within St. Andrews run from B+ to F, so check the map below.
D-
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 88 of 1,000Less safe than nearly all US neighborhoodsi What this means
8% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than St. Andrews as a whole, and 92% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. St. Andrews scores 88.
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 St. Andrews, SC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in St. Andrews, 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 St. Andrews
Aggravated assaults and burglaries both run high. In St. Andrews, each runs at about triple the US rate: 8.7 aggravated assaults and 6.9 burglaries a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.6 and 2.4 nationally.
The safest and least safe parts of St. Andrews
Crime varies widely across St. Andrews: 22% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 78% in areas graded D or F. Grades across St. Andrews run from B+ to F; every part of St. Andrews has more crime than the typical US neighborhood.
22%78%
A or B 22%D or F 78%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Within St. Andrews, the northwest side has the least crime and the center the most.
Crime rates and types in St. Andrews
CrimeGrade™ estimates St. Andrews has about 77 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about double the rate for the US as a whole and 72% more than South 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.
Assault is the most common crime in St. Andrews, about 35% 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 St. Andrews compares with nearby cities
St. Andrews has the most crime of its 8 nearest cities.
Night lighting, empty homes and walkability in St. Andrews
One thing sets St. Andrews apart: it has 10.0% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places like that tend to report more burglary, vandalism and arson, and burglary and vandalism run high here.
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.100% where people liveUS: 78%Higher than for 92% 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.10.0% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 85% 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. 88% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D (13 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 65% of US city residents
Show all 6
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery and car theft.27% of residentsUS: 24%Higher than for 65% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for St. Andrews: D+ (25 of 100).3 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 62% of US city residents
Parking lotsBig lots at stores, offices and apartment complexes. Places with more lot space tend to report more theft.1.4 spaces per residentUS: 2.0Lower 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 St. Andrews
Crime costs St. Andrews about $2,650 a year per household, counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, about double 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 $123 million a year, or $5,461 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$11 million
$474
Rape
$720,000
$32
Robbery
$1.1 million
$48
Assault
$8.6 million
$381
Burglary
$1.4 million
$62
Theft
$2.9 million
$129
Vehicle theft
$2.3 million
$102
Arson
$89,000
$4
Vandalism
$1.4 million
$60
Total
$29 million
$1,292
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 St. Andrews 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 St. Andrews, SC average a SchoolGrade of D-: 40% of students test proficient, against 32% projected for schools like them. Overall, they don't meet expectations. See schools in St. Andrews on SchoolGrade
