Matthews is a town of 50,600 in Mecklenburg County, about 10 miles southeast of downtown Charlotte · Updated November 2026
How common is violent crime in Matthews?
Matthews earns an A- for violent crime, with more violent crime than the neighborhoods where 58% of Americans live. Assaults make up 95% of it, and most of those are simple assaults, which involve no weapon and no serious injury.
A-
Violent crime CrimeGrade™
Safety score 823 of 1,000About as much violent crime as the typical US neighborhoodi What this means
42% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more violent crime than Matthews as a whole, and 58% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a violent crime safety score of 860, a CrimeGrade™ of A. Matthews scores 823.
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 violent crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its violent crime with the people who spend time there, on one national scale, from green for the least to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy downtown or nightlife strip can show red while the homes around it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a solid connection. Compare high speed internet in Matthews, NC at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Matthews, 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 about violent crime in Matthews
One part of Matthews stands out for aggravated assault. Aggravated assaults in Idlewild South, in northwest Matthews, run at more than triple the rate in the rest of the city.
Where violent crime is lowest and highest in Matthews
Most of Matthews grades well for violent crime: 94% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and 3% in areas graded D or F. Violent crime grades across Matthews run from A+ to F.
94%
A or B 94%C 3%D or F 3%
Share of residents, by the violent crime CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
1Providence Estates East, southwestSimple assaults run at a small fraction of the rate in the rest of Matthews.A+926
2Hembstead, westSimple assaults run about 40% lower here than in the rest of Matthews.A914
3Marshbrooke & East Forest, northAggravated assaults run about 70% higher here than in the rest of Matthews.B+767
4Idlewild South, northwestSimple assaults run about 80% higher here than in the rest of Matthews.C+533
Neighborhood areas of Matthews, ranked by violent crime CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer). Each one combines several of the smaller areas on the map.
Is violent crime going up in Matthews?
Reported violent crime in Matthews peaked in 2021 and has fallen 30% since, back near its 2019 level. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 1.7 to 1.8 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 23%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
MatthewsUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police department that serves Matthews. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Matthews
Violent, US
2016
-15%
+4%
2017
+1%
+4%
2018
+21%
+0%
2019
+0%
+0%
2020
+17%
+4%
2021
+50%
+6%
2022
-8%
+5%
2023
+36%
+2%
2024
+6%
-4%
Violent crime rates and types in Matthews
CrimeGrade™ estimates Matthews has about 13 reported violent crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, about the same as the US as a whole and close to North Carolina.
All violent crime
Assaults
Robbery
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. Violent crime here includes simple assaults, which the FBI's violent crime rate leaves out.
Assault is the most common violent crime in Matthews, about 95% of the total.
Each CrimeGrade™ here compares a violent crime with the people who spend time in an area, not only the people who live there. 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.
Where and when violent crime happens in Matthews
Matthews has its own police department, and these figures come from its reports, 2022 to 2024.
In Matthews, 42% of aggravated assaults happen at a home, against 53% nationally. Robberies happen most often at stores and businesses: 67% of them.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Robbery
Stores and businesses (67%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Homes (42%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
Violent crime in Matthews and nearby cities
Matthews has more violent crime than 8 of its 10 nearest cities. Weddington and Marvin have the least violent crime nearby.
Among the traits that tend to go with violent crime, two set Matthews apart: it has a Walk Grade of D- (8 of 100) on BestNeighborhood, against 21 for the US as a whole, and 8 buses and trains an hour at the evening rush, where most Americans have none nearby. Places that are hard to get around on foot tend to report less assault, yet assault runs higher here than that would suggest.
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 assault. 95% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (8 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 83% of US city residents
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Matthews: D- (9 of 100).8 trips an hourUS: noneHigher than for 81% of US city residents
Residents in dense blocksBlocks of 10,000 or more people per square mile. Dense neighborhoods tend to report more robbery.8% of residentsUS: 24%Lower than for 67% of US city residents
Show all 4
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more robbery.46 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Higher than for 56% 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 violent crime costs Matthews
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, violent crime costs Matthews about $39 million a year, or $771 per resident. The costs that reach a bill, such as medical care, lost work and the justice system, come to about $10 million, or $200 per resident.
Billed cost of violent crime per resident, per year
How the cost breaks down
Pain and suffering are about 74% of that full cost.
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$2.6 million
$52
Rape
$550,000
$11
Robbery
$750,000
$15
Assault
$6.2 million
$123
Total
$10 million
$200
How CrimeGrade™ works
The violent crime CrimeGrade™ covers murder, rape, robbery and assault, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most, on one scale for the whole country.
It weighs each violent crime against the people who spend time in an area, so a busy downtown is graded on its workers and visitors as well as its residents.
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.
