The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Tega Cay, SC

Tega Cay is a city of 12,900 in York County, about 16 miles southwest of downtown Charlotte · Updated November 2026

Is Tega Cay, SC safe?

Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Tega Cay: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A, safer than the neighborhoods where 70% of Americans live. Violent crime grades better than property crime here, A+ against A. Every neighborhood in Tega Cay grades A.

A
Overall CrimeGrade™Safety score 909 of 1,000
Safer than most US neighborhoods What this means

70% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Tega Cay as a whole, and 30% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Tega Cay scores 909.

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.

A+
Violent crimeSafety score 945 of 1,000Less violent crime than most US neighborhoods
A
Property crimeSafety score 847 of 1,000About as much property crime as the typical US neighborhood

How it works


Crime map of Tega Cay

Map of Tega Cay shaded by overall CrimeGrade™, from green for the least crime to red for the most
Click the map to explore
F D C B A+
Highest crime Safest
Colorblind friendly off

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 Tega Cay, SC at ISP Reports.

Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Tega Cay, 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 Tega Cay

Simple assault runs low. Tega Cay has 2.8 simple assaults a year per 1,000 residents, a small fraction of the US rate of 9.7.


The safest and least safe parts of Tega Cay

Every part of Tega Cay where people live grades A or B on the national scale.

A or B 100%

Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.

Within Tega Cay, the center has the least crime and the northeast side the most.


Crime rates and types in Tega Cay

CrimeGrade™ estimates Tega Cay has about 17 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 54% less than the US as a whole and 62% less 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.

The largest share of crime reported in Tega Cay is theft, about 64% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.

CrimeCrimeGrade™Reported a yearPer 1,000 residentsUS per 1,000
Violent crime
MurderA+under 1under 0.010.05
RapeA+10.090.38
RobberyA+under 10.050.62
AssaultA403.112.3
Property crime
BurglaryA+40.332.4
TheftB14110.913.1
Vehicle theftA+30.272.7
ArsonA+under 10.020.12
VandalismA292.35.5

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.

The Tega Cay Police Department's 2024 counts of theft and vandalism fell far below their usual levels, a sign of a reporting break, so CrimeGrade™ used the department's earlier years instead.

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 Tega Cay

Tega Cay has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.

CrimeMost often atBusiest time
VandalismHomes (42%)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 Tega Cay compares with nearby cities

Tega Cay has less crime than 7 of its 8 nearest cities; only Springwood, NC has less.

Nearby cities

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Tega CayA909A+A12,900
Fort Mill 4 milesA890AA89,200
Lake Wylie 6 milesA893AA16,500
Rock Hill 7 milesB+748B+A-115,800
Charlotte, NC 16 milesC+497C+C+949,800
Show all 8
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Pineville, NC 8 milesB+704B+B-16,500
Indian Land 10 milesA897AA21,400
Springwood, NC 10 milesA+933A+A+1,770
York 11 milesA-839A-A26,900

Nearest first, with each place's distance from Tega Cay. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).

Compared with cities of similar size and density, Tega Cay has more crime than 58% of them.

Cities of similar size and density

PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Tega CayA909A+A12,900
Campton Hills, ILA+984A+A+12,900
Montgomery, OHA+950A+A+12,900
Perryville, MOA+948A+A+12,900
Pella, IAA+940A+A+12,900
Show all 10
PlaceOverallViolentPropertyResidents
Winnetka, ILA+937A+A12,900
Crestwood, MOA897A+A-12,900
Pelzer, SCA870AA12,900
Los Llanos, PRA862A-A+12,900
North Bend, ORA852AA-12,900
Parker, SCD206FC13,000

Shops, density and walkability in Tega Cay

Two things set Tega Cay apart: it has 4.6 stores and restaurants for every 1,000 residents, against 10.5 nationally, and 1% of its residents in dense blocks, against 24% nationally. Places like that tend to report less theft, yet theft runs higher here than that would suggest.

Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.4.6 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Lower than for 93% 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.1% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 91% 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. 94% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.F (6 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 89% of US city residents
Show all 6
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.17 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 90% 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.2.7% of homesUS: 7.1%Lower than for 90% 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 Tega Cay: F (0 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 84% of US city residents

BestNeighborhood, a sister site of CrimeGrade™, ranks the neighborhoods of Tega Cay on shops, parks, home prices, getting around and more.

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 Tega Cay

Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Tega Cay about $370 a year per household, 69% 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 $3.6 million a year, or $280 per resident.

How the cost breaks down
CrimeCost a yearPer resident
Murder$180,000$14
Rape$69,000$5
Robbery$21,000$2
Assault$380,000$29
Burglary$38,000$3
Theft$720,000$56
Vehicle theft$54,000$4
Arson$5,300under $1
Vandalism$210,000$16
Total$1.7 million$130

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 Tega Cay 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. Tega Cay 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
  • Population and housing figures from the US Census Bureau
  • 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.

More about CrimeGrade™ data


Schools in Tega Cay

Schools in Tega Cay, SC average a SchoolGrade of A+: 79% of students test proficient, against 66% projected for schools like them. Overall, they meet expectations. See schools in Tega Cay on SchoolGrade