Morehead City, NC has a D safety grade (37/100) with a violent crime rate of 361 per 100,000, 3% above the national average.

FBI UCR 2024 Per-capita rates FBI UCR + NIBRS

Morehead City, NC Crime Rate & Safety

Violent and property crime rates per 100,000 residents, drawn directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. Compare against state and national averages.

PlainCrime home → About this data
D
Safety grade
Below Average
361.4
Violent / 100K
3072.3
Property / 100K
10K
Population
+3%
vs U.S. avg

The verdict

Morehead City earns a D safety grade: violent crime runs 3% above the U.S. average, placing it higher-crime than most U.S. cities.

D
PlainCrime safety grade
+3%
violent crime vs. U.S. average
21st
percentile of 8,986 U.S. cities
3,072.3
property crimes per 100K

Crime data sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program, covering violent crime, property crime, and individual offense categories. Safety grades reflect a composite analysis of violent and property crime rates benchmarked against national averages. For context on how crime statistics are collected and what they mean for community safety, read our guide to understanding FBI crime data.

Is Morehead City, NC safe? Morehead City has a violent crime rate of 361.4 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data, 3% higher than the national average and 1% below the North Carolina average. The city receives a safety grade of D (Below Average). Property crime rate: 3072.3/100K. Population: 9,960.

FBI UCR Data Snapshot: Morehead City, NC

Morehead City, NC, reporting population 9,960 in 2024, recorded 36 violent crimes and 306 property crimes in the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program's Table 8 city-level submissions. The city's violent crime rate works out to 361.4 per 100,000 residents, while the property crime rate reaches 3072.3 per 100,000. Combining those two rates against national benchmarks yields a composite safety grade of D (Below Average), scoring 37 out of 100.

Within the violent crime count, aggravated assault accounted for 30 incidents, robbery 1, murder 0, and rape 5 in 2024. Property crime splits into larceny-theft (281), burglary (17), motor vehicle theft (8), and arson (0). Larceny-theft and other property offenses typically dominate city crime counts, and larceny-theft leads Morehead City's mix at 82.2% of all Part I offenses.

Against the national violent crime average, Morehead City runs 3% above the US benchmark, and 1% below the North Carolina statewide rate. Translated to per-capita risk, the 2024 figures imply roughly a 1 in 29 statistical chance of being named in a crime report that year, narrowing to 1 in 277 for a violent offense. UCR figures reflect offenses reported to and submitted by local law enforcement and may undercount unreported crime.

These figures come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which compiles offenses voluntarily submitted by local law enforcement agencies. Rates are expressed per 100,000 residents so a small town and a large city sit on the same scale, 50 burglaries mean something very different in a town of 2,000 than in a city of 500,000. Two caveats matter when reading any city's numbers. First, a year with missing or partial agency reporting can understate true crime, so a sudden drop sometimes reflects a reporting gap rather than a real safety gain. Second, UCR counts reported offenses, not convictions, and many crimes are never reported at all. Treat a grade as one input among several, not a final verdict on a place.

Is Morehead City, NC Safe? Safety Assessment

Based on 2024 FBI crime data, Morehead City, NC receives a safety grade of D (Below Average) with a composite safety score of 37/100. Violent crime is 3% above the national average, indicating elevated risk compared to most US cities.

Your statistical chance of being a crime victim in Morehead City is approximately 1 in 29 , with a 1 in 277 chance of being a violent crime victim. The most common crime type is larceny-theft, accounting for 82% of all reported offenses.

Safety assessments are based on FBI UCR reported crime statistics. Actual safety varies by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances. Crime reporting rates differ across jurisdictions.

Safety Overview

D 37/100
Below Average
Composite safety score
based on FBI UCR data
Violent Crime Rate
361.4/100K
violent crimes per 100K residents
+3% vs US
Property Crime Rate
3072.3/100K
property crimes per 100K residents
+80% vs US
Total Crimes
342
reported in 2024
Population
9,960
2024 Census-based estimate

Crime Rate Breakdown, How Each Offense Compares

Each offense category's rate per 100,000 residents, benchmarked against the national average. Bars show the rate relative to the highest-rate offense in this city.

Murder 0.0/100K
Rape 50.2/100K
Robbery 10.0/100K
Aggravated Assault 301.2/100K
Burglary 170.7/100K
Larceny-Theft 2821.3/100K
Motor Vehicle Theft 80.3/100K
Arson 0.0/100K

How this works: Each bar shows the offense rate per 100,000 residents relative to the most frequent offense in this city. ▲▼ indicators compare against the FBI UCR national rate for that offense category. A longer bar means a higher per-capita rate, it does not imply the city is dangerous; use it to understand the mix of crime types. Full methodology →

Crime Breakdown (2024)

Category Count Rate /100K
Violent Crime 36 361.4
Murder 0 0
Rape 5 50.2
Robbery 1 10
Aggravated Assault 30 301.2
Property Crime 306 3072.3
Burglary 17 170.7
Larceny-Theft 281 2821.3
Motor Vehicle Theft 8 80.3
Arson 0 0

Per-Capita Risk Assessment

Overall Crime Risk
1 in 29
Statistical chance of being a crime victim based on 2024 data
Violent Crime Risk
1 in 277
Statistical chance of being a violent crime victim

These are statistical averages based on reported crimes. Actual risk varies significantly by neighborhood, time of day, and individual circumstances.

Crime Type Distribution (2024)

Larceny-Theft 281 (82.2%)
Aggravated Assault 30 (8.8%)
Burglary 17 (5.0%)
Motor Vehicle Theft 8 (2.3%)
Rape 5 (1.5%)
Robbery 1 (0.3%)

Morehead City vs North Carolina vs National Average

Morehead City
Violent361.4/100K
Property3072.3/100K
GradeD
North Carolina
Violent364.6/100K
Property1929.5/100K
National Average
Violent352/100K
Property1711/100K

How Morehead City ranks nationally

Morehead City vs. every U.S. city

Violent crime per 100,000 residents, FBI UCR 2024. Lower is safer.

361 21st percentile lower than 21% of 8,986 U.S. cities

0–100: 3,427 U.S. cities (38%). Below this entry. 100–200: 2,003 U.S. cities (22%). Below this entry. 200–300: 1,232 U.S. cities (14%). Below this entry. 300–400: 742 U.S. cities (8%). This entry sits in this band. 400–500: 511 U.S. cities (6%). Above this entry. 500–600: 325 U.S. cities (4%). Above this entry. 600–700: 199 U.S. cities (2%). Above this entry. 700–800: 134 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 800–900: 94 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 900–1,000: 77 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,100: 59 U.S. cities (1%). Above this entry. 1,100–1,200: 38 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,200–1,300: 27 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,300–1,400: 24 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,400–1,500: 12 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,500–1,600: 16 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,600–1,700: 10 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,700–1,800: 12 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,800–1,900: 11 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 1,900–2,000: 4 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. 2,000+: 29 U.S. cities (0%). Above this entry. This city 0 2,000+ every reporting city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band of values; taller bars hold more U.S. cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · 2024

Morehead City vs. nearby cities — violent vs. property crime. X axis violent crime per 100K, Y axis property crime per 100K, split by the national averages. 9 cities; the anchor city is ringed. Morehead City vs. nearby cities — violent vs. property crime SAFEST HIGHEST CRIME 64 998 Violent crime per 100K → 1,186 4,104 Property crime per 100K → Morehead City: 361 violent · 3,072 property per 100K · grade D Morehead City Charlotte-Mecklenburg: 733 violent · 3,705 property per 100K · grade F Raleigh: 489 violent · 2,819 property per 100K · grade D Greensboro: 924 violent · 3,383 property per 100K · grade F Durham: 619 violent · 3,800 property per 100K · grade F Winston-Salem: 810 violent · 2,921 property per 100K · grade F Fayetteville: 660 violent · 3,095 property per 100K · grade F Cary: 71 violent · 1,317 property per 100K · grade A Wilmington: 483 violent · 3,515 property per 100K · grade F Safety grade A / B C D / F
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program · split lines are the U.S. national averages

Nearby Cities in North Carolina

Compare Morehead City against neighboring cities in the same state, or use our side-by-side compare tool to benchmark two cities directly.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg
F
Pop: 1,003,130
Violent: 733.2/100K
Property: 3705.3/100K
Raleigh
D
Pop: 488,085
Violent: 488.8/100K
Property: 2819.2/100K
Greensboro
F
Pop: 304,306
Violent: 923.7/100K
Property: 3383.1/100K
Durham
F
Pop: 300,208
Violent: 619.2/100K
Property: 3799.7/100K
Winston-Salem
F
Pop: 254,041
Violent: 809.7/100K
Property: 2921.2/100K

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the crime rate in Morehead City, NC? ▼
Morehead City has a violent crime rate of 361.4 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 3072.3 per 100,000, based on 2024 FBI UCR data.
Is Morehead City, NC safe? ▼
Morehead City receives a safety grade of D (Below Average), with a safety score of 37/100. The violent crime rate is 3% above the national average and 1% below the North Carolina average.
What is the population of Morehead City, NC? ▼
The reporting population for Morehead City is 9,960 as of 2024.
How many crimes were reported in Morehead City? ▼
In 2024, Morehead City reported 36 violent crimes and 306 property crimes, for a total of 342 reported offenses.
What are the odds of being a crime victim in Morehead City? ▼
Based on 2024 data, the statistical chance of being a crime victim in Morehead City is approximately 1 in 29, with a 1 in 277 chance of being a violent crime victim. These are statistical averages and actual risk varies by neighborhood and circumstance.
What is the most common crime in Morehead City? ▼
The most common crime type in Morehead City is larceny-theft, accounting for 82.2% of all reported crimes (281 incidents in 2024).

Understanding Crime Data

►
Understanding Crime Rates
How per-capita rates are calculated and what they mean
 ►
Violent vs Property Crime
Key differences between crime categories
 ►
FBI Crime Stats Explained
How the FBI collects and reports UCR data
 ►
Crime, Housing & Schools
How safety connects to housing costs and school quality

Data as of 2024. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

Crime rates are calculated per 100,000 population. Not all agencies report complete data. FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures referenced from U.S. Census Bureau estimates where noted; state-level comparisons cross-check against state UCR programs. Verify with FBI.gov UCR, Census.gov QuickFacts, and HUD.gov fair-market rents.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
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