Violent crime
365 per 100,000 residents, per year
18,848 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−14% vs. the previous 12 months
Data through June 2026, FBI Crime Data Explorer
Crime in South Carolina
The violent crime rate in South Carolina is 365 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, 15% above the U.S. rate of 318, and the 16th-highest of the 50 states and D.C. Violent crime is down 14% from the previous 12 months, and down 22% since 2018.
The numbers
12 months to Jun 2026Property crime
1,642 per 100,000 residents, per year
84,779 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−11% vs. the previous 12 months
All reported
2,007 per 100,000 residents, per year
103,627 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
Annual rates per 100,000 residents, counted the FBI’s way, the same as every city on this site.
What counts, and who reported
Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. The agencies that reported serve 92.7% of the state’s 5,570,274 residents, and rates are taken over the population they serve. How we count
Where South Carolina sits among the states
violent, per 100k, per year365
South Carolina has the 16th-highest violent crime rate of the 50 states and D.C., and the 16th-highest property crime rate.
Maine 89U.S. 318Washington, D.C. 786
The ring is South Carolina; the tick is the rate for the whole country.
Reported crime by type
12 months to Jun 2026- Homicide6.0 (U.S. 3.9)+54% vs. U.S.
- Rape32 (U.S. 35)−9% vs. U.S.
- Robbery26 (U.S. 46)−43% vs. U.S.
- Aggravated assault302 (U.S. 233)+29% vs. U.S.
- Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson1,642 (U.S. 1,473)+11% vs. U.S.
See the table, with the change on the previous 12 months
| Offense | Reported | Per 100k | U.S. per 100k | vs. U.S. | vs. previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomicideViolent | 311 | 6.0 | 3.9 | +54% | −15% |
| RapeViolent | 1,636 | 32 | 35 | −9% | −17% |
| RobberyViolent | 1,339 | 26 | 46 | −43% | −21% |
| Aggravated assaultViolent | 15,562 | 302 | 233 | +29% | −13% |
| Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson | 84,779 | 1,642 | 1,473 | +11% | −11% |
The FBI publishes property crime for states as a single total, so it is not broken down here. Red means more than in the previous 12 months, green means fewer.
Since 2018
per 100k, per yearViolent crime rate by year
Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents
| Year | Violent crime rate in South Carolina |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 498 |
| 2019 | 508 |
| 2020 | 528 |
| 2022 | 500 |
| 2023 | 478 |
| 2024 | 441 |
| 2025 | 390 |
Homicide rate by year
Homicides per 100,000 residents
| Year | Homicide rate in South Carolina |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 8.0 |
| 2019 | 8.9 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2022 | 11 |
| 2023 | 8.9 |
| 2024 | 7.8 |
| 2025 | 6.5 |
Why there is no 2021
No figure for 2021: that year the FBI switched every agency to its new reporting system (NIBRS), and so many had not switched yet that national coverage fell too low for a rate. The dotted line only joins the years on either side.
Cities in South Carolina
3 city pages, per 100k, per yearMonth by month
Violent crimes in each city’s latest 12 months against the 12 before. Each chart has its own scale: compare the two lines within a city.
Charleston390 −19%
Columbia1,028 −14%
North Charleston815 −13%
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. South Carolina | Residents | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia55th of 302 | 699 | 2,910 | +92% | 147,021 | Aug 2026 |
| 2 | North Charleston69th of 302 | 633 | 3,007 | +73% | 128,751 | Jul 2026 |
| 3 | Charleston203rd of 302 | 245 | 1,461 | −33% | 159,360 | Sep 2026 |
How to read this table
The line under each city is its place among the 302 cities and county areas on this site, highest rate first. City rates use the same FBI definitions as the state, so each one can be read against the South Carolina figure directly. Each department reports on its own schedule, so the 12-month windows differ a little between rows.
Neighboring states
per 100k, per year| State | Violent | Property | Homicide | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 365 | 1,642 | 6.0 | 16 |
| North Carolina | 312 | 1,676 | 5.9 | 24 |
| Georgia | 291 | 1,279 | 5.0 | 26 |
Rank among the 50 states and D.C. by violent crime rate, 1 being the highest. Same FBI window for every state: the 12 months to June 2026.
Common questions
answered with the data aboveIs South Carolina safe?
By reported violent crime, South Carolina is above the national level: 365 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, against 318 for the U.S. It varies a lot from city to city: among the 3 South Carolina cities on this site, Columbia runs 699 and Charleston 245.
What is the violent crime rate in South Carolina?
365 per 100,000 residents per year, counting homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault reported to the FBI over the 12 months to June 2026 (18,848 offenses). The property crime rate is 1,642 per 100,000.
Is crime in South Carolina going up or down?
It is going down: violent crime −14% and property crime −11% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Since 2018 the violent crime rate is down 22%.
Source and dates
FBI CDE- Source
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, via the FBI Crime Data Explorer: monthly offense counts and the population served by the agencies that reported
- Latest 12 months
- July 2025 to June 2026
- Reporting coverage
- Agencies serving 92.7% of residents
- History on this site
- 2018 to 2025 by year (no 2021), and month by month since January 2018
- Update schedule
- We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months that agencies across the country have reported in full.
- Methodology
- How we count, and what the numbers leave out