Surf City, NC has a C safety grade (55/100) with a violent crime rate of 293 per 100,000, 17% below the national average.

FBI UCR 2024 Per-capita rates FBI UCR + NIBRS

Surf 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
C
Safety grade
Average
293
Violent / 100K
1777.3
Property / 100K
5K
Population
-17%
vs U.S. avg

The verdict

Surf City earns a C safety grade: violent crime runs 17% below the U.S. average, placing it higher-crime than most U.S. cities.

C
PlainCrime safety grade
-17%
violent crime vs. U.S. average
27th
percentile of 8,986 U.S. cities
1,777.3
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 Surf City, NC safe? Surf City has a violent crime rate of 293 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data, 17% lower than the national average and 20% below the North Carolina average. The city receives a safety grade of C (Average). Property crime rate: 1777.3/100K. Population: 5,120.

FBI UCR Data Snapshot: Surf City, NC

Surf City, NC, reporting population 5,120 in 2024, recorded 15 violent crimes and 91 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 293 per 100,000 residents, while the property crime rate reaches 1777.3 per 100,000. Combining those two rates against national benchmarks yields a composite safety grade of C (Average), scoring 55 out of 100.

Within the violent crime count, aggravated assault accounted for 10 incidents, robbery 1, murder 0, and rape 4 in 2024. Property crime splits into larceny-theft (78), burglary (9), motor vehicle theft (4), and arson (0). Larceny-theft and other property offenses typically dominate city crime counts, and larceny-theft leads Surf City's mix at 73.6% of all Part I offenses.

Against the national violent crime average, Surf City runs 17% below the US benchmark, and 20% below the North Carolina statewide rate. Translated to per-capita risk, the 2024 figures imply roughly a 1 in 48 statistical chance of being named in a crime report that year, narrowing to 1 in 341 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 Surf City, NC Safe? Safety Assessment

Based on 2024 FBI crime data, Surf City, NC receives a safety grade of C (Average) with a composite safety score of 55/100. The city is safer than the national average, with violent crime 17% below the US benchmark.

Your statistical chance of being a crime victim in Surf City is approximately 1 in 48 , with a 1 in 341 chance of being a violent crime victim. The most common crime type is larceny-theft, accounting for 74% 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

C 55/100
Average
Composite safety score
based on FBI UCR data
Violent Crime Rate
293/100K
violent crimes per 100K residents
-17% vs US
Property Crime Rate
1777.3/100K
property crimes per 100K residents
+4% vs US
Total Crimes
106
reported in 2024
Population
5,120
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 78.1/100K
Robbery 19.5/100K
Aggravated Assault 195.3/100K
Burglary 175.8/100K
Larceny-Theft 1523.4/100K
Motor Vehicle Theft 78.1/100K
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 15 293
Murder 0 0
Rape 4 78.1
Robbery 1 19.5
Aggravated Assault 10 195.3
Property Crime 91 1777.3
Burglary 9 175.8
Larceny-Theft 78 1523.4
Motor Vehicle Theft 4 78.1
Arson 0 0

Per-Capita Risk Assessment

Overall Crime Risk
1 in 48
Statistical chance of being a crime victim based on 2024 data
Violent Crime Risk
1 in 341
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 78 (73.6%)
Aggravated Assault 10 (9.4%)
Burglary 9 (8.5%)
Motor Vehicle Theft 4 (3.8%)
Rape 4 (3.8%)
Robbery 1 (0.9%)

Surf City vs North Carolina vs National Average

Surf City
Violent293/100K
Property1777.3/100K
GradeC
North Carolina
Violent364.6/100K
Property1929.5/100K
National Average
Violent352/100K
Property1711/100K

How Surf City ranks nationally

Surf City vs. every U.S. city

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

293 27th percentile lower than 27% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 300–400: 742 U.S. cities (8%). Above this entry. 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. Surf 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

Surf 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. Surf 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 → Surf City: 293 violent · 1,777 property per 100K · grade C Surf 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 Surf 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 Surf City, NC? ▼
Surf City has a violent crime rate of 293 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1777.3 per 100,000, based on 2024 FBI UCR data.
Is Surf City, NC safe? ▼
Surf City receives a safety grade of C (Average), with a safety score of 55/100. The violent crime rate is 17% below the national average and 20% below the North Carolina average.
What is the population of Surf City, NC? ▼
The reporting population for Surf City is 5,120 as of 2024.
How many crimes were reported in Surf City? ▼
In 2024, Surf City reported 15 violent crimes and 91 property crimes, for a total of 106 reported offenses.
What are the odds of being a crime victim in Surf City? ▼
Based on 2024 data, the statistical chance of being a crime victim in Surf City is approximately 1 in 48, with a 1 in 341 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 Surf City? ▼
The most common crime type in Surf City is larceny-theft, accounting for 73.6% of all reported crimes (78 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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