CrimeMetric

Crime in South Carolina

Major crime across South Carolina is 12% above the U.S. rate per resident: 18% higher for persons crimes and 10% higher for property crimes. That is the 16th highest of the 50 states and DC. Expected major crimes are down 7.5% from a year earlier. Of the 137 places below, 69 are more than 5% above the statewide rate.

Major crime
112
12% above the U.S. rate
1,914 per 100,000
down 7.5% in a year
Persons crimes
118
18% above the U.S. rate
366 per 100,000
down 5.2% in a year
Property crimes
110
10% above the U.S. rate
1,548 per 100,000
down 8.1% in a year
Social disorder
127
27% above the U.S. rate
2,928 per 100,000
down 7.2% in a year
Cities and places

Larger places in South Carolina, against the U.S. and the state

Major-crime index per resident; the U.S. rate is 100.

Highest major-crime index

  1. Florence321
  2. Myrtle Beach310
  3. Spartanburg290
  4. Columbia214
  5. Aiken191

Lowest major-crime index

  1. Fort Mill24
  2. Bluffton31
  3. Carolina Forest35
  4. Taylors48
  5. Mauldin62

Among the 27 places in South Carolina of 25,000 or more residents that we publish.

PlaceIndexAgainst South Carolina
Charleston1029% lower
Columbia2141.9 times
North Charleston1871.7 times
Mount Pleasant6343% lower
Rock Hill1691.5 times
Greenville16043% higher
Summerville1047% lower
Goose Creek7929% lower
Greer6541% lower
Sumter1851.7 times
Bluffton3172% lower
Spartanburg2902.6 times
Aiken1911.7 times
Myrtle Beach3102.8 times
Florence3212.9 times
Hilton Head Island6938% lower
Conway13521% higher
Fort Mill2479% lower
Anderson1691.5 times
Mauldin6244% lower
Simpsonville9515% lower
North Augusta8821% lower
Lexington106about the same
Easley8623% lower
Taylors4857% lower
Carolina Forest3569% lower
Socastee7235% lower
Greenwood1941.7 times
North Myrtle Beach2041.8 times
Hanahan5848% lower
St. Andrews2532.3 times
Moncks Corner9019% lower
Clemson7830% lower
West Columbia2372.1 times
Five Forks3965% lower
Wade Hampton113about the same
Boiling Springs7334% lower
Berea8028% lower
Ladson6938% lower
Seven Oaks2272.0 times
Lake Wylie4262% lower
Gantt111about the same
Hardeeville8227% lower
Garden City9713% lower
Dentsville2802.5 times
Red Hill8028% lower
Parker15135% higher
Port Royal7632% lower
Fountain Inn6839% lower
Orangeburg2722.4 times

The 50 largest places in South Carolina, largest first.

All 137 places in South Carolina

Every place in South Carolina with a page, A to Z.

Crime by type

Drugs and alcohol stands out most, at 50% above the U.S. rate

Every block group in South Carolina, including towns and unincorporated areas: the index against the U.S. rate per resident, and expected crimes a year per 100,000 residents.

Persons crimes

Murder1425.1
Aggravated assault132304
Rape / sexual assault9331.1
Robbery6226.4

Property crimes

Burglary126206
Theft from vehicle117310
Other larceny112558
Shoplifting103328
Motor vehicle theft92146

Social disorder

Drugs and alcohol150745
Simple assault134972
Disorderly conduct127151
Trespassing127297
Weapons violations115114
Vandalism109447
Intimidation89203

How crime varies across South Carolina

Share of South Carolina residents by the major-crime index of their census block group.

  • 0–5029.1%
  • 50–10033.9%
  • 100–20024.1%
  • 200–40010.1%
  • 400+2.8%

99.5% of South Carolina residents live where agencies send detailed incident reports to the FBI. Data sources

3,408 block groups and 5,668,755 residents. How the estimates are made