Best placesNorth CarolinaViolent Crime Rate

Safest Counties (Lowest Violent Crime) in North Carolina (2026)

Mitchell has the lowest violent crime rate of any county in North Carolina, at 24.0 per 100k, followed by Jones and Caswell. Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (per-agency, 2018-2022 average), FBI CDE 2020-2024 avg. The full ranking of the top 25 counties is below.

Data updated 2024 - Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (per-agency, 2018-2022 average)

Map of violent crime rate
US map of violent crime rate

violent crime rate

Safest counties in North Carolina

#1 Mitchell24.0 per 100k

Open map

#1

Mitchell

24.0 per 100k

County page

#2

Jones

64.4 per 100k

County page

#3

Caswell

67.3 per 100k

County page

Safest counties for violent crime rate in North Carolina

Top 25 of 100 counties with data.

Ranked by violent crime rate (FBI Crime Data Explorer (per-agency, 2018-2022 average), FBI CDE 2020-2024 avg), lowest first.

Safest counties for violent crime rate in North Carolina

RankCountyValue
01
Mitchell24.0 per 100k
County page
02
Jones64.4 per 100k
County page
03
Caswell67.3 per 100k
County page
04
Yancey68.6 per 100k
County page
05
Hyde68.8 per 100k
County page
06
Madison73.7 per 100k
County page
07
Watauga83.4 per 100k
County page
08
Macon103.0 per 100k
County page
09
Chatham104.9 per 100k
County page
10
Polk121.2 per 100k
County page
11
Cabarrus121.8 per 100k
County page
12
Henderson131.4 per 100k
County page
13
Transylvania131.5 per 100k
County page
14
Nash134.1 per 100k
County page
15
Ashe136.3 per 100k
County page
16
Columbus143.8 per 100k
County page
17
Clay145.7 per 100k
County page
18
Avery146.4 per 100k
County page
19
Gates146.9 per 100k
County page
20
Lee148.4 per 100k
County page
21
Johnston151.5 per 100k
County page
22
Wake153.0 per 100k
County page
23
Caldwell154.0 per 100k
County page
24
Yadkin155.0 per 100k
County page
25
Moore158.8 per 100k
County page

How this ranking works

This page ranks North Carolina counties by violent crime rate, sorted so the safest places appear first. Click any county to see its housing, schools, crime, and demographics in detail.

For violent crime rate, a lower value is generally more favorable, so the top of the list is the lowest. Want to weigh violent crime rate against schools, taxes, commute, and more at once? Use the live map to build a custom match.

Data comes from public sources. Source attribution and the exact data vintage are shown above and on the full map of violent crime rate.

Frequently asked questions

Which county in North Carolina has the lowest violent crime rate?
Mitchell has the lowest violent crime rate in North Carolina, at 24.0 per 100k.
What is the violent crime rate in Mitchell?
Mitchell is ranked #1 in North Carolina for violent crime rate, at 24.0 per 100k.
How is this violent crime rate ranking calculated?
Counties in North Carolina are ranked by violent crime rate (FBI Crime Data Explorer (per-agency, 2018-2022 average), FBI CDE 2020-2024 avg), lowest first. Values describe the county, not an individual property. Source vintage is shown on the page.

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See these North Carolina counties on the live map.