North Carolina Crime Grades A-F (2024)

Statewide grade C

191 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 47/100 (Average).

What is North Carolina’s crime safety grade?

North Carolina earned an overall safety grade of C (score: 47/100, Average) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 364.6 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1929.5 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 191 North Carolina cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.

Across the 191 graded North Carolina cities, 5 earned A+, 30 earned A, 36 received B, 46 landed at C, 25 received D, and 49 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Rolesville with an A+ grade (score: 93/100, violent rate 33.7/100K). The lowest-rated city is Wadesboro with a F grade (score: 0/100, violent rate 2037.1/100K).

Roughly 18% of graded cities in North Carolina achieved an A or A+ rating, while 39% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between North Carolina and other states on the site.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

5 cities

30 cities

36 cities

46 cities

25 cities

49 cities

Rolesville

34
Davidson

42
Pinehurst

59
Waxhaw

59
Elon

78
Stallings

51
Fuquay-Varina

70
Southern Shores

32

What this shows Rolesville reports the lowest violent-crime rate in North Carolina. At 33.7 per 100K, it runs well below the North Carolina average of 364.6. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Rolesville	93	33.7/100K	437.6/100K	11,884
2	A+	Davidson	92	41.9/100K	446.6/100K	14,332
3	A+	Pinehurst	92	58.8/100K	277.8/100K	18,716
4	A+	Waxhaw	90	58.6/100K	422.7/100K	23,893
5	A+	Elon	90	77.7/100K	310.7/100K	11,585
6	A	Stallings	89	51.2/100K	671.8/100K	17,564
7	A	Fuquay-Varina	88	69.6/100K	579.7/100K	47,436
8	A	Southern Shores	87	31.7/100K	1111.1/100K	3,150
9	A	Holly Ridge	87	54.3/100K	832.9/100K	5,523
10	A	Winterville	85	82.4/100K	723/100K	10,926
11	A	Black Mountain	84	58.4/100K	1179.4/100K	8,564
12	A	Hudson	83	53.2/100K	1302.8/100K	3,761
13	A	Boone	83	89.9/100K	908.9/100K	20,024
14	A	Mint Hill	83	99.1/100K	835.1/100K	28,259
15	A	King	82	78.1/100K	1197.9/100K	7,680
16	A	Richlands	82	81.4/100K	1139.6/100K	2,457
17	A	Southport	82	89/100K	1068.1/100K	4,494
18	A	Leland	82	96.5/100K	983.1/100K	33,162
19	A	Cary	81	71/100K	1317.4/100K	181,793
20	A	Fletcher	81	73/100K	1338.4/100K	8,219
21	A	Cornelius	81	103.9/100K	1035.6/100K	33,699
22	A	Sunset Beach	81	107.3/100K	965.7/100K	4,660
23	A	Beech Mountain	81	152.4/100K	457.3/100K	656
24	A	Archdale	80	107.1/100K	1120/100K	12,143
25	A	Four Oaks	80	152.4/100K	571.6/100K	2,624
26	A	Swansboro	79	46.8/100K	1872.2/100K	4,273
27	A	Madison	78	46.2/100K	1986.1/100K	2,165
28	A	Spruce Pine	78	91.4/100K	1507.5/100K	2,189
29	A	Cramerton	78	108/100K	1241.9/100K	5,556
30	A	Angier	78	151.9/100K	835.2/100K	7,902
31	A	Wendell	77	135.1/100K	1074.9/100K	16,281
32	A	Holden Beach	76	105.8/100K	1481.5/100K	945
33	A	Raeford	76	110.2/100K	1432.3/100K	4,538
34	A	Mount Holly	75	107.6/100K	1646.8/100K	18,581
35	A	China Grove	75	151.8/100K	1105.8/100K	4,612
36	B	Jefferson	74	122.1/100K	1526.3/100K	1,638
37	B	Tryon	74	123.5/100K	1543.2/100K	1,620
38	B	Lowell	74	130.2/100K	1458.7/100K	3,839
39	B	Huntersville	74	143/100K	1364.2/100K	65,752
40	B	Wake Forest	74	146.8/100K	1304.8/100K	55,872
41	B	Concord	74	159/100K	1105.2/100K	111,922
42	B	Gibsonville	74	176.7/100K	925.3/100K	9,619
43	B	Woodfin	73	174.3/100K	1083.3/100K	8,031
44	B	Valdese	72	106.3/100K	1977.5/100K	4,703
45	B	Clayton	72	168.3/100K	1282.8/100K	31,494
46	B	Weldon	69	73.3/100K	2710.6/100K	1,365
47	B	Morrisville	69	99/100K	2433.8/100K	32,336
48	B	Cleveland	69	225.2/100K	1013.5/100K	888
49	B	Canton	68	158.5/100K	1879.1/100K	4,417
50	B	Kannapolis	68	168/100K	1785.1/100K	60,725
51	B	Burgaw	68	198.4/100K	1445.6/100K	3,528
52	B	Maxton	68	236.3/100K	992.4/100K	2,116
53	B	Emerald Isle	67	149.7/100K	2046.4/100K	4,007
54	B	Maysville	67	235.8/100K	1061.3/100K	848
55	B	Weaverville	66	63.4/100K	3127.6/100K	4,732
56	B	Havelock	66	205.1/100K	1574.8/100K	16,574
57	B	Carrboro	65	180.6/100K	1929.2/100K	21,045
58	B	Kill Devil Hills	65	217.5/100K	1496.7/100K	7,817
59	B	Ocean Isle Beach	64	98.1/100K	3042.2/100K	1,019
60	B	Butner	64	245.2/100K	1311.9/100K	8,156
61	B	West Jefferson	63	74.6/100K	4477.6/100K	1,340
62	B	Pittsboro	63	101.3/100K	3060.4/100K	4,934
63	B	Mayodan	62	81.2/100K	7832.8/100K	2,464
64	B	Kitty Hawk	62	242.3/100K	1642.4/100K	3,714
65	B	Ayden	62	253.6/100K	1482.6/100K	5,126
66	B	Ranlo	62	318.3/100K	763.8/100K	4,713
67	B	Blowing Rock	61	148.5/100K	2821.1/100K	1,347
68	B	Chapel Hill	61	172.1/100K	2514.6/100K	63,906
69	B	Snow Hill	61	204.5/100K	2113.2/100K	1,467
70	B	Mooresville	60	217.1/100K	2152.4/100K	54,823
71	B	Coats	60	217.4/100K	2043.5/100K	2,300
72	C	Dallas	59	257/100K	1815.3/100K	6,225
73	C	Newport	59	286.6/100K	1455/100K	4,536
74	C	Boiling Spring Lakes	59	289.7/100K	1434.2/100K	6,903
75	C	Matthews	58	184.6/100K	2654.2/100K	31,422
76	C	North Wilkesboro	57	254.5/100K	2058.8/100K	4,323
77	C	Saluda	57	309.6/100K	1393.2/100K	646
78	C	Cherryville	56	173.4/100K	2995.9/100K	6,342
79	C	Troy	56	301.5/100K	1608/100K	2,985
80	C	Tabor City	56	302.5/100K	1540.2/100K	3,636
81	C	Knightdale	55	194.6/100K	2923.6/100K	20,557
82	C	Surf City	55	293/100K	1777.3/100K	5,120
83	C	Beaufort	55	304.9/100K	1727.6/100K	4,920
84	C	Creedmoor	55	315.8/100K	1598.9/100K	5,066
85	C	Troutman	54	172.5/100K	3327.6/100K	4,057
86	C	Granite Falls	54	203.7/100K	2974.7/100K	4,908
87	C	Yadkinville	54	297.5/100K	1884.3/100K	3,025
88	C	Jonesville	53	171.5/100K	6560.9/100K	2,332
89	C	Carolina Beach	51	332.5/100K	1850.5/100K	6,917
90	C	Kernersville	50	227.9/100K	3148.4/100K	28,522
91	C	Franklin	50	251.3/100K	2901.5/100K	4,377
92	C	Kenansville	50	262.5/100K	2755.9/100K	762
93	C	New Bern	50	362.5/100K	1616.1/100K	32,548
94	C	Wrightsville Beach	49	207.9/100K	3659/100K	2,405
95	C	Biscoe	49	215.9/100K	3777.7/100K	1,853
96	C	Graham	49	346.3/100K	1880.5/100K	18,772
97	C	Marion	48	242.1/100K	3201.1/100K	7,435
98	C	Mount Airy	48	311.6/100K	2436.3/100K	10,590
99	C	Aberdeen	47	245/100K	3267/100K	9,795
100	C	Hendersonville	47	263.5/100K	3058.9/100K	15,561
101	C	Thomasville	47	330.6/100K	2296.1/100K	27,525
102	C	Lenoir	46	258.2/100K	3219.6/100K	18,201
103	C	Zebulon	46	328.3/100K	2452.7/100K	10,356
104	C	Lincolnton	46	360.6/100K	2123.7/100K	12,478
105	C	Southern Pines	46	368.6/100K	2030.2/100K	17,092
106	C	Edenton	46	378.2/100K	1913.2/100K	4,495
107	C	Nags Head	45	255.6/100K	3418.5/100K	3,130
108	C	Elizabeth City	45	341/100K	2386.7/100K	19,064
109	C	Windsor	45	444/100K	1205.2/100K	3,153
110	C	Mount Olive	44	303.7/100K	2943.9/100K	4,280
111	C	Franklinton	43	285.1/100K	3278.7/100K	2,806
112	C	Star	43	364.1/100K	2427.2/100K	824
113	C	Newton	43	400.6/100K	1906.7/100K	13,479
114	C	Rutherfordton	41	297.2/100K	3323.4/100K	3,701
115	C	Mebane	41	305.9/100K	3212.2/100K	20,920
116	C	Warsaw	41	328.7/100K	3031.4/100K	2,738
117	C	Bessemer City	41	457.3/100K	1495.2/100K	5,685
118	D	Stantonsburg	39	528.4/100K	924.7/100K	757
119	D	Shallotte	38	324.4/100K	4199.7/100K	5,548
120	D	Sharpsburg	38	512.8/100K	1253.6/100K	1,755
121	D	Rowland	37	337.1/100K	3370.8/100K	890
122	D	Morehead City	37	361.4/100K	3072.3/100K	9,960
123	D	Belmont	37	382.8/100K	2833.1/100K	15,672
124	D	Eden	37	411.6/100K	2534.8/100K	15,307
125	D	Erwin	36	436.4/100K	2348.3/100K	4,812
126	D	Wilkesboro	35	356/100K	5257.4/100K	3,652
127	D	Garner	35	356.8/100K	4507.1/100K	36,720
128	D	Hickory	35	407.3/100K	2824.4/100K	44,682
129	D	Louisburg	34	359.3/100K	5509/100K	3,340
130	D	Siler City	34	479/100K	2149.3/100K	8,142
131	D	High Point	33	454.8/100K	2456/100K	117,629
132	D	Hillsborough	32	378/100K	4526/100K	9,788
133	D	Wallace	32	400.9/100K	3207.3/100K	3,492
134	D	Chadbourn	31	390.1/100K	4031.2/100K	1,538
135	D	Murfreesboro	31	558.7/100K	1590/100K	2,327
136	D	Lexington	30	437.2/100K	3020.3/100K	19,899
137	D	Greenville	29	453.4/100K	2914/100K	90,871
138	D	Raleigh	27	488.8/100K	2819.2/100K	488,085
139	D	Bryson City	27	602/100K	1538.5/100K	1,495
140	D	Waynesville	26	499.4/100K	2811.4/100K	10,813
141	D	Haw River	26	504/100K	2771.9/100K	2,381
142	D	Maggie Valley	25	456.9/100K	5082.8/100K	1,751
143	F	Wilmington	22	482.8/100K	3514.8/100K	125,101
144	F	Smithfield	21	490.2/100K	3563.6/100K	12,852
145	F	Wilson	21	579.2/100K	2402.5/100K	47,825
146	F	Beulaville	20	524/100K	3231.4/100K	1,145
147	F	Wilson's Mills	20	754.7/100K	1097.8/100K	2,915
148	F	Washington	19	520/100K	3379.8/100K	9,616
149	F	Sylva	18	519.1/100K	4301.1/100K	2,697
150	F	Forest City	18	527.7/100K	5290.2/100K	7,391
151	F	Whiteville	17	537.2/100K	7971.6/100K	4,654
152	F	Spring Lake	17	541.1/100K	3377.3/100K	11,459
153	F	Reidsville	17	596.5/100K	2735.9/100K	14,584
154	F	Kings Mountain	16	647.6/100K	2266.5/100K	12,045
155	F	Clinton	15	566.3/100K	3277.1/100K	8,300
156	F	Marshville	14	666.4/100K	2258.4/100K	2,701
157	F	Farmville	12	1376.7/100K	2097.9/100K	4,576
158	F	Tarboro	10	668.5/100K	2692.3/100K	10,920
159	F	Rockingham	9	614.6/100K	3835.6/100K	8,786
160	F	Shelby	9	1044.1/100K	2433.3/100K	22,028
161	F	Selma	9	1049.1/100K	2388.2/100K	7,244
162	F	Durham	8	619.2/100K	3799.7/100K	300,208
163	F	Fayetteville	7	660.2/100K	3094.6/100K	209,945
164	F	Monroe	6	652.9/100K	3333.9/100K	38,903
165	F	Benson	5	748.6/100K	2796.1/100K	4,542
166	F	Winston-Salem	4	809.7/100K	2921.2/100K	254,041
167	F	Burlington	3	952.3/100K	3085.1/100K	60,906
168	F	Ahoskie	1	698.7/100K	4061.1/100K	4,580
169	F	Pineville	0	723.7/100K	8755.5/100K	11,330
170	F	Charlotte-Mecklenburg	0	733.2/100K	3705.3/100K	1,003,130
171	F	Rocky Mount	0	765.4/100K	3979.9/100K	54,223
172	F	Atlantic Beach	0	775.7/100K	3596.6/100K	1,418
173	F	Asheville	0	796.1/100K	3895.2/100K	95,219
174	F	Oxford	0	841.5/100K	3587.2/100K	9,032
175	F	Gastonia	0	849.5/100K	3514.2/100K	85,112
176	F	Red Springs	0	885.8/100K	4365.7/100K	3,161
177	F	Roanoke Rapids	0	896.7/100K	3380/100K	14,497
178	F	Dunn	0	903.5/100K	5108.3/100K	8,633
179	F	Pembroke	0	916.8/100K	7933.7/100K	2,836
180	F	Greensboro	0	923.7/100K	3383.1/100K	304,306
181	F	Kinston	0	958.6/100K	4964.2/100K	19,298
182	F	Salisbury	0	960/100K	3987.5/100K	36,564
183	F	Roxboro	0	1007.9/100K	3509.4/100K	8,235
184	F	Fairmont	0	1041.7/100K	4483.7/100K	2,208
185	F	Goldsboro	0	1076.4/100K	5863.5/100K	33,444
186	F	Williamston	0	1161.4/100K	6407.7/100K	4,994
187	F	Lumberton	0	1676.5/100K	9943.9/100K	19,087
188	F	Henderson	0	1791.6/100K	5800.8/100K	14,791
189	F	Plymouth	0	1861.8/100K	3502.7/100K	3,169
190	F	Laurinburg	0	1894.1/100K	5042/100K	14,994
191	F	Wadesboro	0	2037.1/100K	7353.8/100K	4,909

Frequently Asked Questions

What is North Carolina's overall crime safety grade?

North Carolina has an overall safety grade of C (score: 47/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 364.6 per 100K and property crime rate of 1929.5 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in North Carolina have an A+ safety grade?

5 cities in North Carolina earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 30 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in North Carolina?

Rolesville is the highest-rated city in North Carolina with an A+ grade (score: 93/100). Its violent crime rate is 33.7 per 100K.

Nationwide states with similar crime grades

FBI UCR peer sets for North Carolina grade pages, ranked across all states so these neighborhoods are not the alphabetically adjacent list below.

Similar safety score

Nearest states by statewide safety score (47/100 here, grade C).

Similar graded-city count

Nearest states by cities with A–F grades (191 here); safety-score peers above are excluded.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare North Carolina's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

North Carolina Crime Overview → Safest Cities in North Carolina → All State Grades →

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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.

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

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.