Most Dangerous Cities in North Carolina
Top 50 cities (≥10,000 pop) by highest FBI UCR violent crime rate per 100,000 · 2024. Lead: Laurinburg at 1894.1/100K.
FBI UCR Highest-Crime Snapshot: North Carolina
North Carolina lists 50 cities with 10,000+ population for 2024, spanning Laurinburg at 1894.1/100K violent down to Havelock at 205.1/100K on this highest-crime cut. That is a 1689/100K spread inside the elevated cohort alone, not a single statewide rate. Cohort average: 626.2 violent offenses per 100,000 residents.
Laurinburg reported 284 violent and 756 property offenses on a 14,994 reporting population in 2024. Property rate 5042/100K sits beside the 1894.1/100K violent rate. Top five on the table: Laurinburg, Henderson, Lumberton, Goldsboro, Shelby.
Laurinburg offense desk
Laurinburg's 2024 violent book concentrates in aggravated assault (85% of 284 Part I violent offenses; mix index 7,238).
Laurinburg's violent rate rose 7.6% vs 2023 (1759.9 → 1894.1 per 100K) while staying #1 on this North Carolina highest-crime list.
Laurinburg violent offense mix (2024)
Mix index is HHI × 10,000 on Part I violent shares for the #1 city only, distinct from the per-100K ranking table.
| # | Grade | City | Population | Violent Crime Rate | Property Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | Laurinburg | 14,994 | 1894.1/100K | 5042/100K |
| 2 | F | Henderson | 14,791 | 1791.6/100K | 5800.8/100K |
| 3 | F | Lumberton | 19,087 | 1676.5/100K | 9943.9/100K |
| 4 | F | Goldsboro | 33,444 | 1076.4/100K | 5863.5/100K |
| 5 | F | Shelby | 22,028 | 1044.1/100K | 2433.3/100K |
| 6 | F | Salisbury | 36,564 | 960/100K | 3987.5/100K |
| 7 | F | Kinston | 19,298 | 958.6/100K | 4964.2/100K |
| 8 | F | Burlington | 60,906 | 952.3/100K | 3085.1/100K |
| 9 | F | Greensboro | 304,306 | 923.7/100K | 3383.1/100K |
| 10 | F | Roanoke Rapids | 14,497 | 896.7/100K | 3380/100K |
| 11 | F | Gastonia | 85,112 | 849.5/100K | 3514.2/100K |
| 12 | F | Winston-Salem | 254,041 | 809.7/100K | 2921.2/100K |
| 13 | F | Asheville | 95,219 | 796.1/100K | 3895.2/100K |
| 14 | F | Rocky Mount | 54,223 | 765.4/100K | 3979.9/100K |
| 15 | F | Charlotte-Mecklenburg | 1,003,130 | 733.2/100K | 3705.3/100K |
| 16 | F | Pineville | 11,330 | 723.7/100K | 8755.5/100K |
| 17 | F | Tarboro | 10,920 | 668.5/100K | 2692.3/100K |
| 18 | F | Fayetteville | 209,945 | 660.2/100K | 3094.6/100K |
| 19 | F | Monroe | 38,903 | 652.9/100K | 3333.9/100K |
| 20 | F | Kings Mountain | 12,045 | 647.6/100K | 2266.5/100K |
| 21 | F | Durham | 300,208 | 619.2/100K | 3799.7/100K |
| 22 | F | Reidsville | 14,584 | 596.5/100K | 2735.9/100K |
| 23 | F | Wilson | 47,825 | 579.2/100K | 2402.5/100K |
| 24 | F | Spring Lake | 11,459 | 541.1/100K | 3377.3/100K |
| 25 | D | Waynesville | 10,813 | 499.4/100K | 2811.4/100K |
| 26 | F | Smithfield | 12,852 | 490.2/100K | 3563.6/100K |
| 27 | D | Raleigh | 488,085 | 488.8/100K | 2819.2/100K |
| 28 | F | Wilmington | 125,101 | 482.8/100K | 3514.8/100K |
| 29 | D | High Point | 117,629 | 454.8/100K | 2456/100K |
| 30 | D | Greenville | 90,871 | 453.4/100K | 2914/100K |
| 31 | D | Lexington | 19,899 | 437.2/100K | 3020.3/100K |
| 32 | D | Eden | 15,307 | 411.6/100K | 2534.8/100K |
| 33 | D | Hickory | 44,682 | 407.3/100K | 2824.4/100K |
| 34 | C | Newton | 13,479 | 400.6/100K | 1906.7/100K |
| 35 | D | Belmont | 15,672 | 382.8/100K | 2833.1/100K |
| 36 | C | Southern Pines | 17,092 | 368.6/100K | 2030.2/100K |
| 37 | C | New Bern | 32,548 | 362.5/100K | 1616.1/100K |
| 38 | C | Lincolnton | 12,478 | 360.6/100K | 2123.7/100K |
| 39 | D | Garner | 36,720 | 356.8/100K | 4507.1/100K |
| 40 | C | Graham | 18,772 | 346.3/100K | 1880.5/100K |
| 41 | C | Elizabeth City | 19,064 | 341/100K | 2386.7/100K |
| 42 | C | Thomasville | 27,525 | 330.6/100K | 2296.1/100K |
| 43 | C | Zebulon | 10,356 | 328.3/100K | 2452.7/100K |
| 44 | C | Mount Airy | 10,590 | 311.6/100K | 2436.3/100K |
| 45 | C | Mebane | 20,920 | 305.9/100K | 3212.2/100K |
| 46 | C | Hendersonville | 15,561 | 263.5/100K | 3058.9/100K |
| 47 | C | Lenoir | 18,201 | 258.2/100K | 3219.6/100K |
| 48 | C | Kernersville | 28,522 | 227.9/100K | 3148.4/100K |
| 49 | B | Mooresville | 54,823 | 217.1/100K | 2152.4/100K |
| 50 | B | Havelock | 16,574 | 205.1/100K | 1574.8/100K |
North Carolina overview · Safest cities · National most dangerous cities · Methodology - FBI UCR Part I rates; cities ≥10,000 pop; 2024.