Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in North Carolina

North Carolina has 80 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Robeson County at 27.7 per 100K , while the safest is Lincoln County at 3.1 per 100K .

35 of 80 counties (44%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in North Carolina

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Robeson County 27.7 per 100K +246.4%
2 Vance County 24.8 per 100K +209.9%
3 Anson County 22.6 per 100K +182.5%
4 Scotland County 22.2 per 100K +177.8%
5 Columbus County 19.0 per 100K +137.9%
6 Hertford County 18.7 per 100K +133.5%
7 Halifax County 18.0 per 100K +125.5%
8 Edgecombe County 17.9 per 100K +124.1%
9 Bertie County 17.6 per 100K +120.3%
10 Bladen County 16.4 per 100K +105.5%

Safest Counties in North Carolina

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
80 Lincoln County 3.1 per 100K -60.7%
79 Henderson County 3.2 per 100K -60.3%
78 Wake County 3.3 per 100K -58.4%
77 Jackson County 3.6 per 100K -54.6%
76 Stokes County 3.8 per 100K -52.9%
75 Chatham County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
74 Union County 3.8 per 100K -52.1%
73 Carteret County 3.9 per 100K -51.0%
72 Orange County 4.1 per 100K -49.0%
71 Rutherford County 4.1 per 100K -48.8%

All 80 Counties Ranked

Every county in North Carolina ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Robeson County 27.7 per 100K +246.4%
2 Vance County 24.8 per 100K +209.9%
3 Anson County 22.6 per 100K +182.5%
4 Scotland County 22.2 per 100K +177.8%
5 Columbus County 19.0 per 100K +137.9%
6 Hertford County 18.7 per 100K +133.5%
7 Halifax County 18.0 per 100K +125.5%
8 Edgecombe County 17.9 per 100K +124.1%
9 Bertie County 17.6 per 100K +120.3%
10 Bladen County 16.4 per 100K +105.5%
11 Richmond County 16.2 per 100K +102.1%
12 Northampton County 15.9 per 100K +98.9%
13 Lenoir County 15.3 per 100K +91.8%
14 Hoke County 15.0 per 100K +87.5%
15 Warren County 13.2 per 100K +65.0%
16 Cumberland County 12.9 per 100K +61.6%
17 Nash County 12.4 per 100K +54.8%
18 Pasquotank County 12.1 per 100K +51.1%
19 Durham County 11.9 per 100K +48.2%
20 Chowan County 11.2 per 100K +40.4%
21 Martin County 10.9 per 100K +35.7%
22 Wayne County 10.7 per 100K +33.4%
23 Guilford County 10.5 per 100K +30.8%
24 Greene County 10.3 per 100K +28.6%
25 Wilson County 10.3 per 100K +28.2%
26 Caswell County 10.1 per 100K +26.1%
27 Swain County 10.1 per 100K +25.8%
28 Rowan County 9.7 per 100K +20.8%
29 Lee County 9.7 per 100K +20.6%
30 Montgomery County 9.6 per 100K +19.5%
31 Sampson County 9.4 per 100K +17.8%
32 Mecklenburg County 9.1 per 100K +13.4%
33 Person County 9.1 per 100K +13.3%
34 Forsyth County 9.0 per 100K +12.5%
35 Rockingham County 8.6 per 100K +7.6%
36 Harnett County 7.9 per 100K -0.9%
37 Beaufort County 7.7 per 100K -3.7%
38 Pitt County 7.6 per 100K -4.6%
39 Cleveland County 7.5 per 100K -5.9%
40 Alamance County 7.0 per 100K -13.1%
41 Craven County 6.9 per 100K -14.2%
42 New Hanover County 6.7 per 100K -16.6%
43 Gaston County 6.7 per 100K -16.8%
44 McDowell County 6.6 per 100K -17.1%
45 Catawba County 6.5 per 100K -18.4%
46 Duplin County 6.4 per 100K -20.3%
47 Franklin County 6.2 per 100K -22.9%
48 Pender County 5.9 per 100K -25.9%
49 Caldwell County 5.8 per 100K -27.7%
50 Surry County 5.8 per 100K -27.9%
51 Cherokee County 5.7 per 100K -28.7%
52 Wilkes County 5.7 per 100K -28.7%
53 Burke County 5.6 per 100K -30.0%
54 Granville County 5.4 per 100K -32.1%
55 Alexander County 5.4 per 100K -32.8%
56 Stanly County 5.0 per 100K -37.3%
57 Onslow County 4.9 per 100K -39.0%
58 Macon County 4.8 per 100K -40.5%
59 Brunswick County 4.7 per 100K -41.5%
60 Randolph County 4.7 per 100K -41.8%
61 Davidson County 4.6 per 100K -42.6%
62 Iredell County 4.4 per 100K -44.5%
63 Moore County 4.4 per 100K -45.0%
64 Buncombe County 4.3 per 100K -45.8%
65 Johnston County 4.3 per 100K -45.9%
66 Davie County 4.3 per 100K -46.0%
67 Transylvania County 4.2 per 100K -47.3%
68 Yadkin County 4.2 per 100K -47.6%
69 Haywood County 4.2 per 100K -48.1%
70 Cabarrus County 4.1 per 100K -48.4%
71 Rutherford County 4.1 per 100K -48.8%
72 Orange County 4.1 per 100K -49.0%
73 Carteret County 3.9 per 100K -51.0%
74 Union County 3.8 per 100K -52.1%
75 Chatham County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
76 Stokes County 3.8 per 100K -52.9%
77 Jackson County 3.6 per 100K -54.6%
78 Wake County 3.3 per 100K -58.4%
79 Henderson County 3.2 per 100K -60.3%
80 Lincoln County 3.1 per 100K -60.7%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within North Carolina only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in North Carolina?
The county with the highest homicide rate in North Carolina is Robeson County, at 27.7 per 100,000 residents. This is 246% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in North Carolina?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in North Carolina is Lincoln County, at 3.1 per 100,000 residents.
How does North Carolina's crime rate compare to the national average?
35 of 80 counties in North Carolina (44%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in North Carolina has the most firearm fatalities?
Robeson County has the highest firearm fatality rate in North Carolina at 32.8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in North Carolina has the most drug overdose deaths?
Pamlico County has the highest drug overdose death rate in North Carolina at 90.8 per 100,000 residents.