12 months to Sep 2026, FBI
Atlanta vs Charlotte crime rates
Atlanta’s violent crime rate was 1.6 times Charlotte’s over the 12 months to Sep 2026: 796 against 499 per 100,000 residents a year. Charlotte’s property crime rate was 11% higher than Atlanta’s over the same period: 3,018 against 2,712 per 100,000 residents a year. Atlanta recorded 92 homicides (17.5 per 100,000 residents) and Charlotte 99 (9.6). Over the same period violent crime was up 18% in Atlanta and down 17% in Charlotte, each against its own previous 12 months.
Side by side
per 100k, per year| Measure | Atlanta, GAcity, Georgia | Charlotte, NCcity, North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 796 | 499 |
| Property crimeper 100,000 residents a year | 2,712 | 3,018 |
| Homicidescount in the period | 9217.5 per 100k | 999.6 per 100k |
| Violent crime trendagainst the 12 months before | +18% | −17% |
| Property crime trendagainst the 12 months before | −15% | −14% |
| Residents | 525,939 | 1,035,037 |
| Period | 12 months to Sep 2026 | 12 months to Sep 2026 |
| Source | Atlanta Police Departmentas reported to the FBI | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Departmentas reported to the FBI |
Violent crime, month by month
Each line has its own scale, so read the direction, not the height; the table above has the rates.
The FBI cautions against ranking or comparing places on these numbers alone: how dense a place is, its economy, how often residents report crime and how each agency records it all shape them. How to read crime numbers
What this comparison does not measure
read before deciding- These are crimes reported to the police. In the federal victim survey for 2024, about half of violent crime (47.9%, homicide aside) and under a third of property crime (30.5%) was reported, and that share can differ from one city to another.
- City limits are drawn differently: one city may take in suburbs and open land that another leaves to its neighbors, and that alone moves a citywide rate. A citywide figure says little about any one neighborhood; Atlanta and Charlotte have neighborhood figures on their page.
More on each place
3 related pairsCrime in Atlanta, GACrime in Charlotte, NCCharlotte vs RaleighAtlanta vs DallasCharlotte vs Nashville
Source and dates
FBI Crime Data Explorer- Atlanta, GA
- Atlanta Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Sep 2026; 525,939 residents.
- Charlotte, NC
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, as reported to the FBI. 12 months to Sep 2026; 1,035,037 residents.
- How we count
- Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson, the FBI’s definitions for every agency. Methodology