Property crime across the Carolinas and beyond
Ever wondered what the safest city in North Carolina is? Or thought about the lowest crime rate in South Carolina? Perhaps you’re in Georgia, wondering about the Atlanta crime rate, or trying to locate the safest neighborhoods in Charlotte, NC.
The CPI Security Crime Rates by City analyzes official FBI data to reveal how cities across North and South Carolina are impacted by burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, and robbery. Select locations in Georgia and Tennessee are also covered.
Get the lowdown on property crime across the Southeast.
North Carolina
Stretching from Wilmington on the Atlantic coast to Asheville in the west, North Carolina is a state of mountains, coastline and cosmopolitan cities.
South Carolina
With a coastline that covers historic Charleston and modern Myrtle Beach, South Carolina offers sandy shores and iconic architecture.
Georgia
Southwest of South Carolina sits Georgia. Small towns, mountains and clear coasts complement the bustling cities of Atlanta and Savannah.
Tennessee
Edged by the Appalachian Mountains, landlocked Tennessee is known for Nashville, Memphis and the Mississippi River.
Property Crime in Major Southeastern Cities
Asheville
This small North Carolina city is the arty and rugged capital of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Charlotte
North Carolina’s biggest city, home to the Hornets, NASCAR and an iconic city skyline.
Fayetteville
Home to the US military base Fort Bragg. This NC base is one of the world’s biggest.
Greensboro
This NC city forms part of the Piedmont Triad between the Atlantic and the mountains.
Raleigh
NC state capital Raleigh is rich in culture and known as the ‘Smithsonian of the South’.
Wilmington
A vibrant historic port city with coastal charm, where a rich past meets a booming economy and a lively cultural scene.
Columbia
The heart of South Carolina, Columbia is the state capital, and sits at its geographical center.
Charleston
This historic South Carolina city is famed for its distinctive architecture – its Georgian houses in particular.
Myrtle Beach
This beach city on South Carolina’s Grand Strand Coast is relaxed, idyllic and a haven for vacationers.
Greenville
Best described as a vibrant "New South" city that blends scenic natural beauty with a sophisticated urban lifestyle.
Atlanta
The state capital of Georgia, Atlanta is known as the cradle of the civil rights movement.
Knoxville
This outdoorsy Tennessee city in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains is lush in the fall.
Our methodology
To compile our Crime Hub, we analyzed data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer over a period of four years – from 2020 to 2023, the most recent year data is available. We gathered information for all reported incidents of each crime, rather than just those that led to an arrest, known as ‘clearances’.
The types of crimes we have analyzed
Our study is focused on property crime, specifically the offenses below, as defined by the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program:
| Burglary | Larceny theft | Motor vehicle theft | Robbery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unlawful entry of a building to commit a felony or theft. The use of force to gain entry need not have occurred. | Unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from someone else’s possession. | The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle, i.e. sport utility vehicles, automobiles, trucks, and buses. | Taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence. |
Crime rates and crime counts
Our analysis is based on crime counts, which are the individual number of incidents, and crime rates, which are the number of crimes per 100,000 people living in a city.
Crime counts are the raw data for the city and are not weighted against population numbers. Whereas crime rates map the crime numbers in relation to how many people live there. For this reason, analyzing crime rates is more effective when comparing one city to another.
The addition of local data
For certain destinations, we found that some local police departments have released their own crime data for 2024 and, in some cases, 2025. We have included this where possible, but it’s clearly flagged as being separate to, and not directly comparable with, our main FBI dataset.
How to protect your home against property crime
CPI Security was founded in Charlotte more than 30 years ago. Since then, we’ve been protecting people across the Southeast, providing an all-in-one home security system that comprises indoor and outdoor cameras, alarms, door and window sensors and, more recently, smart home automation technology.
* This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. The data on this website is aggregated from publicly available sources. We cannot guarantee the completeness or reliability of the information. The data is provided “as is” without any warranties, express or implied. We are not responsible for any errors, omissions, or damages arising from the use of this information. Users should verify data with original sources.