The 7 Most Dangerous Cities in North Carolina (By the Numbers)
When people research a move to North Carolina, safety is one of the first questions. The state as a whole sits in the middle of the pack nationally, but crime is not spread evenly, and a handful of cities post violent crime rates well above the average.
Below are seven of North Carolina's most dangerous cities by violent crime rate, using FBI-sourced data. Just as important is the context underneath the numbers, which we cover first so the list reads fairly.
How These Rankings Work
These rankings are based on violent crime rates per 100,000 residents, drawn from FBI crime data and the analyses built on it. Violent crime includes murder, robbery, aggravated assault, and rape. Rankings shift from year to year and from one source to another, so treat any single list as a snapshot, not the final word.
One thing to keep in mind is that small towns can look extreme on a per-capita basis. When a town of 5,000 people records a modest number of crimes, the rate per 100,000 can spike far above what a resident actually experiences day to day. Many of the places below are small, which is part of why their rates run so high. Crime also varies block by block, so a citywide number never tells the whole story.
1. Wadesboro
About 2,000+ violent crimes per 100,000 residents
Wadesboro, the seat of Anson County, frequently lands at or near the top of North Carolina's most dangerous list. With a population of roughly 5,300, it has reported a violent crime rate around 2,000 per 100,000 residents, several times the state average, driven largely by aggravated assault and robbery.
Wadesboro sits about an hour east of Charlotte but has not seen much of the metro's economic spillover. Higher poverty, limited job opportunities, and a small police department with slower nighttime response times all contribute to the numbers. As with every small town on this list, the per-capita rate looks more alarming than the raw count of incidents.
2. Laurinburg
Roughly 1,900 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
Laurinburg, in Scotland County near the South Carolina border, has carried a high violent crime rate for years. Recent data put it close to 1,900 per 100,000 residents, which is several times the statewide rate.
Like many of the towns here, Laurinburg's challenges are tied to economic factors, including job loss and limited resources for law enforcement. The city has a population around 15,000, so its rate reflects a real concentration of incidents rather than a statistical quirk alone.
3. Henderson
Around 1,800 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
Henderson, in Vance County about 40 minutes north of Durham, has at times been labeled the state's murder capital because of persistently high homicide numbers relative to its size. Its violent crime rate has run more than three times the state average.
Property crime is widespread too, including burglaries and theft of building materials like copper and HVAC units. Economic decline and vacant commercial buildings have made the city's safety challenges harder to turn around.
4. Lumberton
Among the state's highest for both violent and property crime
Lumberton, the seat of Robeson County, is one of the most consistently cited names on these lists. Depending on the year and the source, it has held the highest violent crime rate or the highest property crime rate in North Carolina, with a violent rate in the range of 1,700 to 2,000 per 100,000 residents.
With a population around 21,000, Lumberton is larger than the towns above it, so its numbers reflect a sizable volume of incidents. Poverty and limited economic opportunity are recurring themes in the data, and residents have reported feeling less safe after dark despite a visible police presence.
5. Williamston
Roughly 1,160 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
Williamston, a small town in Martin County in the eastern part of the state, has a violent crime rate around 1,160 per 100,000 residents, roughly double the statewide figure. Its population is just over 5,000.
As with the other small towns here, a relatively small number of serious incidents pushes the per-capita rate high. The town has long wrestled with crime tied to limited local economic opportunity.
6. Whiteville
High property crime and elevated violent crime
Whiteville, in Columbus County, regularly shows up among the higher-crime towns in the state. It is best known for very high property crime, including burglary and theft, and it has also reported elevated robbery, assault, and murder rates in some years.
Economic conditions across the Columbus County region continue to shape these figures. The town's small population again means the per-capita rate can look severe relative to the actual number of incidents.
7. Goldsboro
One of the highest total crime rates per capita in the state
Goldsboro, in Wayne County, rounds out the list with one of the highest overall crime rates per 1,000 residents in North Carolina. With a population over 33,000, it faces real challenges with both assault and burglary.
Surveys have found that only a small share of residents feel very safe in the area, a perception that lines up with the statistical picture. Goldsboro is larger than most towns on this list, so its numbers represent a meaningful volume of incidents across the city.
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It is worth zooming out. North Carolina ranks around the middle of all states for both violent and property crime, only modestly above the national average. Most of the places above are small towns where a limited number of incidents produces a high per-capita rate, and crime varies dramatically from one neighborhood to the next even within a single city.
The flip side is that North Carolina is also home to some of the safest communities in the country. Charlotte suburbs like Davidson and Waxhaw, and Raleigh-area towns like Rolesville, report violent crime rates at or below one incident per 1,000 residents. Here are the seven cities above, side by side.
| CITY | APPROX. VIOLENT CRIME (PER 100K) |
|---|---|
| Wadesboro | About 2,000+ |
| Laurinburg | About 1,900 |
| Henderson | About 1,800 |
| Lumberton | About 1,700 to 2,000 |
| Williamston | About 1,160 |
| Whiteville | High (property crime among state's worst) |
| Goldsboro | Among the state's highest overall |
If you are choosing where to land in the Carolinas and want a clear read on safety at the neighborhood and ZIP-code level, we are happy to help. Use the home value tool to see where you stand, and reach out anytime to talk through specific areas. We know this region block by block.
This is a sensitive topic, and crime statistics never capture the full story of a community. The numbers here are meant to inform a move, not to label any place or the people who live there.
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